Man of Constant Sorrow
by Silverspoon
Summary: The power of the Diviner could be harvested for many things, but just why is the head of a prominent pharmaceutical company interested in acquiring it, and how does it involve reinstated SHIELD Agent Grant Ward? AU Skyeward. Collab. with WelshWitch1011.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors' Note - This fic is a collaboration between Silverspoon and WelshWitch1011. We really need to stop doing this... ****and yet here we are again. Somebody should really stop us now. Damn those wascally wabbits. **

**This fic follows our 'Ward as a triple agent' trope. We know it's not likely but it's a fast way to fix things and make the bad feels go away. Set six months after part one of our other fic, I'd Come For You. **

_**Chapter One**_

Staring down his adversary, Grant Ward curled his lip, communicating his displeasure with an audible growl. His fingers flexed at his side, an involuntary gesture, and every muscle in his body gradually coiled tight in response to the heightening levels of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Ward took a step forward and adopted a defensive stance, his narrowed eyes keenly trained on his target. His jaw set and he dismissed the sudden urge to grind his teeth. In that moment, he was certain of precisely two things; he would not relent, and he would not be beaten.

However, when his girlfriend's voice shattered the uneasy atmosphere like a baseball bat to a cheap window, Ward actually started and his head whipped around fast enough to make the room spin.

"Grant, would you quit being an idiot and get over here," Skye demanded, her lips pursed in a demonstration of her irritation, "it's date night and you're ruining it."

Ward's mouth dropped open at the accusation and he crossed his arms as he glowered back at Skye, refusing to be cowed by the less than impressed expression spread across her features.

"You were supposed to be cooking. Last time we had date night, I cooked," Grant retorted, gesturing to the humongous cardboard box dominating the centre of Skye's bed, "that is not Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée with Salmon En Papillote. That is not cooking!"

Skye snorted and shook her head, her tone derisive as she replied, "Please... I can't even pronounce that crap, let alone cook it. I ordered in, pizza's here, so strap on your big girl panties and come grab a slice."

"That..." Ward began, jabbing a finger accusingly at the take-out box he had been staring at, which was almost saturated by a half translucent grease mark, "is not pizza. That is a myocardial infarction just waiting to happen. Do you have any idea what you're doing to your cholesterol level by eating that junk?"

"No, but I know what your whining is doing to my blood pressure," Skye answered, a smile twitching at the corners of her lips as she widened her eyes to promote a false picture of innocence. She lowered her voice almost conspiratorially as she continued, "I think you're just scared you'll enjoy it. It'll be our cheesy, greasy, delicious little secret, Ward. Nobody else even has to know."

"I think I'm done with secrets around here," Ward replied pointedly, dropping down next to her in defeat, although he still eyed the pizza slice she held in her hands with obvious trepidation. He watched Skye close her eyes, clearly realising that his gaze was currently fixed upon her lips, and she bit into the Hawaiian pizza with a dramatic moan of pleasure that sent a jolt of electricity directly to Grant's groin.

Skye chewed slowly and carefully, peering up at Ward from behind a thick fan of lashes. Swallowing her mouthful of food, she grinned as she teased in a sing-song voice, "You sure you don't want to try it, Agent Ward? It's really good..."

Huffing out a dramatic sigh, Ward's lips set into a grimace as he watched her advance upon him, offering out the pizza with a promising smile.

"Fine," he huffed, dutifully opening his mouth and taking the smallest bite of the pizza he could manage. Skye watched him intently, a wide grin blossoming on her face as his expression changed from one of distrust to rapturous approval. Yet she could tell - with much amusement - that he was ashamed of his new culinary epiphany.

"Okay fine, it's good," he acknowledged, a smirk twitching across his lips as Skye scooped up a fresh slice from the box and handed it to him. He accepted it wordlessly, biting into the pizza with obvious relish.

Fist pumping with a whispered 'yes' leaving her lips, Skye's triumphant smile widened as she enthused, "I am officially leading you astray!"

Ward deflected her comment with an incredulous and slightly amused look, and Skye swallowed her food as a blush coloured her cheeks.

"In a 'sometimes food' capacity," she clarified, clearing her throat lamely and picking up a can of soda. She downed a liberal swig and offered the drink to Ward, who responded with only a frown.

"You're bad to the bone," Ward dead panned, shaking his head gently in amusement as he watched Skye set down her soda can and begin nibbling gooey strings of cheese from her pizza again.

"See, date night is far more fun when you actually participate," she cajoled, through a mouthful of food, which earned her a disparaging look off her boyfriend.

"I really need to teach you the finer points of etiquette and manners," Ward teased, working hard to bite back a smile, "poor little urchin girl who grew up in a van."

Skye arched a brow and licked each one of her fingers in turn, deliberately slurping to make a point, "I didn't grow up in a van. That would have been way more fun than nuns."

Wiping her orange stained fingers on an already balled up paper napkin, Skye then proceeded to playfully poke Ward in the centre of his chest as she accused, "Not all of us grew up in the lap of rich-ass luxury with 'the help' there to peel our grapes and polish our salad forks."

"I, personally, hate my grapes peeled," Ward replied, scrunching up his own napkin and tossing it good naturedly at his girlfriend, who was not quite quick enough to evade the missile.

"Besides," he added, somewhat more soberly, "that's not exactly how my childhood played out."

Skye lowered her gaze to her lap, suddenly wishing she had slightly more control over her errant mouth and the words that often flew out of it.

"Grant... I... I'm sorry, I..."

Ward shook his head, looping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her close.

"Hey, it's okay. It's the past... and I'm working through it, right?" his tone was slightly more hopeful than he had intended, but Skye appreciated his understanding no matter how ridiculous she felt.

Leaning her head on his shoulder, Skye slid her arm around his torso and smiled as he instantly embraced her in response. She closed her eyes, happy to lay in his arms where she once again felt safe and as near to content as she dared. His chest rose and fell beneath her, and a gentle sigh escaped his body that made Skye's heart swell.

"Maybe I should just keep my big ole mouth busy with this..." she murmured, reaching out with her free hand toward the pizza box and pushing the lid up with the tip of her finger. She glanced at Grant questioningly as his hand quickly reached out and his fingers curled around her wrist, drawing her hand back.

She grinned as he nuzzled playfully against her neck and she felt his smile against the skin of her throat, where he'd begun to draw a line of teasing, open mouthed kisses.

"I've got a better idea," he stated, and Skye shivered as his breath ghosted over her earlobe and his hand curved around her hip.

"Oh, you do, huh?" she whispered, craning her neck and glancing up into deep brown eyes that were shining with not just mischief but obvious adoration. It was a heady combination, and the new and insistent tug in the pit of Skye's stomach ensured that her thoughts were firmly focused on more pressing and carnal hungers.

Ward simply nodded as his hand came up to cup her cheek and his lips landed on hers in a slow yet urgent kiss. The pizza box slid off the bed with a soft thunk, but neither agent bothered to attend to the remnants of their meal, which was up ended on the carpet of Skye's bedroom. Koenig would probably have her head come morning, and most definitely a percentage of her pay packet to cover the cleaning bill, but Skye had far more important matters to attend to.

She mumbled incoherently against Ward's lips, her heart rate quickening as Ward's kiss deepened and his tongue began exploring her mouth. Warm desire pooled in the pit of her stomach as Ward began to push her bathrobe from her shoulders and his fingertips found the hem of her top in the next moment. As they ghosted against her skin, Skye let out an involuntary groan which only encouraged Grant to renew his assault on her lips. He smoothed his palms across her stomach, hands brushing the slightly puckered scars that remained there courtesy of a man who seemed to belong to another lifetime. Ward was helping her shed her pyjama top only seconds later and Skye found herself scooting into his lap before locking her arms behind his neck and all but melting into the hard planes of his body.

A subsequent knock at the door startled them both, and Skye scrambled behind Ward as her bedroom door was hurled open without invitation. Agent May stood in the doorway, framed by the florescent glow cast from the hallway strip lighting, wearing a stoic expression as she regarded the couple.

"Meeting, conference room, five minutes ago," she declared, seemingly unaffected by the compromising scene she had interrupted even as Skye scrambled for her top, which she held in front of her chest like a protective shield. Ward bobbed his head in acknowledgement, managing to look suitably chagrined as May shot the couple a final disapproving glare before turning on her heel and disappearing down the corridor.

"Well, that was just the awkward interlude I was hoping for," Skye muttered, the apples of her cheeks near glowing crimson as she struggled to slip her pyjama top back over her head. Strands of hair tumbled from her messy braid as a consequence, and Ward found himself reaching forwards on instinct to sweep a stray curl behind his girlfriend's ear.

"Guess I should probably get dressed," Skye sighed, although the expression on her face told Ward that for a moment at least she had contemplated attending the meeting in a fuzzy pink bathrobe and matching unicorn print pyjamas; not exactly the normal uniform of a SHIELD operative but so very Skye.

Sweeping an analytical gaze over her, Ward couldn't help the grin that twitched at his lips and he kissed her again on impulse, reveling in the fact that he could now act upon such an impulse.

"You're not helping, Agent Ward," Skye breathed, loathed to interrupt their evening together for something that she assumed was urgent and therefore time-consuming. A team meeting at almost midnight was not a promising omen, and she assumed it would be a while before they had any down time.

"Gotta be something pretty bad, right?" she checked, sliding off the bed and throwing open her closet as she flung her pyjama top behind her and foraged for a plain black shirt, which she pulled over her head without bothering to address the formality of buttons.

"Probably," Ward agreed, watching her yank down her cotton shorts and hop hurriedly into a pair of jeans, "unless Coulson's implementing a midnight Margaritas policy."

"Cool. Should we take chips and dips?" Skye retorted, toeing on her boots and snatching up the pizza box from the bedroom floor with a saddened pout.

"Sorry," Ward said, indicating the pizza with a slight inclination of his head. Skye frowned back at him, setting the box on the night-stand and affixing him with a stern look.

"No you're not," she accused, her tone evidently displeased.

"Not even a little," Ward assented as Skye huffed sulkily. "Junk food just isn't a weakness for me."

Skye arched a brow but refrained from comment, instead sliding her hand into Grant's and tugging him towards the bedroom door.

"You owe me," she insisted, pausing in the hallway to close the door with a quiet click before the couple set out towards the main conference room, hands still entwined and arms gently swinging.

"I promise I'll make it up to you," he assuaged, a smile flitting across his lips as they turned the corner and continued on to their destination.

"You bet your ridiculously fine ass you will," Skye replied, leaning into his side and smiling as he bent to press a kiss against the top of her head.

Skye felt a chuckle rumble through his chest, and when she glanced up at him the wide smile that was playing across his features was a welcome sight to behold. For the first time in possibly forever as far as Skye was concerned, Ward looked happy and at ease. Gone was the stoic, almost robotic persona she had still somehow managed to fall in love with, as slowly but surely the real Grant Ward was starting to break through.

That's not to say that he was still not perhaps the most accomplished and effective Specialist at SHIELD's disposal - second to Natasha Romanoff he was perhaps their most lethal and conditioned soldier. But there was a new found side of Ward that Skye was thrilled to be uncovering.

"Looks like a party," Ward frowned gravely, opening the door to the conference room as he and Skye walked in sheepishly to see the rest of the team already assembled.

"You and I have very different ideas of a 'party'," Skye whispered, sinking down into a seat beside him as Coulson eyed them somewhat knowingly and then stood to address the team.

May ignored the pair and instead stared up at the screen behind the Director. Bobbi shot them a sympathetic smile whilst Tripp hid a grin behind the rim of his coffee mug, and Hunter made no attempt to disguise the smirk that was blossoming on his lips. However, it was the reactions of another couple that Ward sought out, finding that, just as was the norm since his return, Fitz and Simmons were pointedly ignoring his presence. The scientists busied themselves with staring at the screen of an i-pad that sat between them on the table, but the Specialist could tell that they had noted his arrival; the firm line that Fitz's lips were pressed into confirmed as much.

Six months after returning to the team, and having been exonerated of all the charges previously brought against him, Fitz and Simmons were still unable or perhaps unwilling to forgive their former friend. Ward hadn't known the pod would sink- indeed it had come as something of a surprise to the two scientists themselves. Garrett had ordered him to cross off the pair in no uncertain terms, and Ward knew that getting them off the plane was their best chance at survival. If Garrett had stepped in as he had threatened to, neither of them would be sitting across the table from him now. Yet despite Skye's best efforts to act as mediator and portray Ward's side of the story, progress was slow, and Grant had begun to assume that their previous friendship was past the point of salvaging. The guilt he carried over his actions continued to haunt him, there in a familiar stab of sharp pain to his heart and gut whenever Fitz stumbled over his words or Simmons tensed up at the sight of a body of open water. He knew that it would for the rest of his days.

"Skye, Ward, thanks for joining us," Coulson began, his expression stoic as his eyes ghosted over the two blushing agents in question. However, before either could respond in their defense or otherwise, Coulson tapped at the tablet he held in his hands and a series of crime scene photographs sprang up on the screen affixed to the far wall.

Immediately, Simmons leaned forwards in her seat, her mouth hanging open and her interest piqued. Fitz coughed and looked away quickly, a balled up fist pressed to his mouth, and Hunter's usually tanned complexion paled by several shades. Ward felt his lip curl involuntarily and, at his side, Skye made a strangled choking sound as though she was fighting the urge to vomit. Even May's eye twitched in a gesture suggesting that an actual expression was perhaps imminent.

Coulson kept his back to the screen, no doubt the images upon it already seared into his brain, and instead allowed his team to tamp down their disgust before he declared, "Let's get straight down to business... I think we have a rather pressing matter to attend to."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

Pacing the floor of the Bus labs, with her arms folded tightly across her chest, Skye listened to the argument playing out only feet away from her with an increasing sense of irritation.

On the opposite side of the room, Ward stood alone, checking diligently over the handguns that were laid out on the console in front of him even as he tried to ignore the occasional hiss of his name spilling from Simmons' lips.

"Sir, you can't possibly expect me to go down there with... w_ith him_," the scientist growled, casting a half glance in Ward's direction as if to punctuate her point.

Ward sighed, distracting himself with cleaning the barrel of the pistol he clutched in his hand. Jemma's words permeated his thoughts with the subtlety of a sledgehammer but he forced himself to focus on the feel of the metal beneath his fingertips.

"Agent Simmons, are you telling me you're going to disobey a direct order?"

Coulson shook his head, his tone indicating that he wasn't about to relent on his orders as he zipped up his hazmat suit and regarded the young scientist with an even expression laced with exasperation.

"No, sir," she managed to choke out, bristling at the very suggestion.

"Good. Wheels down in ten."

Without giving her pause to even contemplate a reply, Coulson placed his hand gently but firmly on Jemma's shoulder, his fingers squeezing comfortingly, before he made his way out of the lab in a purposeful stride.

Simmons watched him walk away with her mouth gaping.

"But, sir!" she called, her voice rising an octave. "Sir, I must protest..."

Skye heaved a dramatic sigh that did not go unnoticed by her friend, who grunted as she stormed off to brood in a more distant corner. Skye crossed the lab to stand next to Ward, gnawing her bottom lip with her front teeth as she noted his refusal to look up to meet her gaze. The last thing Grant needed was her pity, and he wondered in his heart of hearts - if the tables had been turned - would he still bear a grudge just as Fitz and Simmons did? He knew the answer to that particular question, and the implications it held for his place in Coulson's team.

"Ward?" Skye leant her elbows on the console, staring up at him in an attempt to intercept his gaze. When he seemed too distracted to even hear her calling his name, she placed her hand gently over his to still his movements, "Grant?"

Forcing a cool, controlled smile, Ward peered back at Skye, who pursed her lips as she immediately sensed his attempt at emotional deception. 'It's nothing more than I deserve,' his eyes seemed to say, and Skye drew away slightly with a sad shake of her head. The impulse to chide him for his self deprecating thoughts was almost overwhelming, but instead Skye brushed her thumb over the back of his hand, knowing that her words held little sway over him.

Instead, she uttered quietly, "You be careful down there, Ward."

"Always am," he countered, moving as though to lean forwards and brush a kiss against her forehead, then thinking better of the gesture at the last moment as he felt a pair of narrowed eyes trained upon him. Anger rolled off Simmons in waves and Ward had no desire to fuel it further by flaunting his relationship with Skye in front of the biochemist.

Sensing her boyfriend's hesitation, Skye closed the distance between them without a second thought and hoisted herself up onto her toes in order to initiate a fleeting but tender kiss.

She broke away from Grant with a small, mischievous smile in place as she stated, "Don't forget, you still owe me a pizza."

"Didn't think you'd let that one go any time soon," Ward replied, rolling his eyes with practised ease, although really his amusement far trumped his exasperation.

By the time Simmons, Coulson, Ward and Morse were assembled on the cargo ramp, each clad in a luminous yellow biohazard suit, the tense atmosphere had somewhat dissipated. Skye noted how the Director positioned himself discreetly between Ward and Jemma, his elbow brushing the latter's arm in a possible act of reassurance.

Skye crossed her arms around herself in a gesture half intended to bring her some comfort as she watched her friends approach the cargo ramp, and the sudden whir of hydraulics signified it had begun to drop. She wasn't certain what she was more concerned about - the team's safety whilst investigating the small South American town that appeared to have become the victim of some kind of deadly plague, or Simmons' reaction on the surface to being within two feet of Ward again. Skye found herself suddenly relieved that the scientist was armed only with an Icer, although that did little to soothe her frazzled nerves when she considered the very real damage Jemma was still capable of doing with her tongue alone. She could be acerbic, spiteful and blunt when she so desired, and Skye knew that the proverbial gloves had long ago been removed when it came to the subject of Ward. However, Grant had been making enormous progress since coming back aboard the Bus and, with the help of some pretty intensive therapy that he hated to acknowledge he was receiving, he had begun to recover not only from the years as a teenager that he had been exposed to Garret's abuse, but also from the type of childhood that would have secured lesser men an extended stay in a padded room. In short, Skye was concerned that Simmons could, either actively or unintentionally, manage to derail Ward's improvement with just a few sharp truths that she undoubtedly would feel justified in delivering.

If she were honest, Skye was sick and tired of playing mediator. Whilst she could understand Fitzsimmons' residual anger toward Grant, she could not reconcile with their refusal to try to work past it, or at the very least to cultivate an air of civility. Being in a room for any length of time with the three former team members was a draining experience, and Skye wasn't sure how much longer she could bear it before her own temper frayed.

Peering up at the screen in the control room, Skye released the breath she had been holding as she watched the team step off the open ramp and onto the disturbed ground behind the village. As a precaution, May had set the Bus down in a clearing just outside the limits of the town and so the team would have only a short walk to their destination. The CDC would be meeting with them later in the day at the request of the President himself, although Skye doubted they would be hanging around in the area any longer than truly necessary. The mysterious plague had set everyone's nerves on edge, including those sitting in power in Washington, with very good reason Skye thought. It certainly wasn't every day that a population of almost 500 was wiped out within hours of the first reported case of a virus of unknown origin. It was truly a miracle that the media had yet to latch onto the story, although Skye assumed that it was only a matter of time.

Through the camera Jemma unsteadily held aloft, Skye, May and the rest of the agents followed their uneasy progress; Fitz especially seemed anxious as he watched Jemma trek toward the ghost town. The horrific photographs they had earlier been subjected to weighed heavily on Fitz's mind, and he found his right leg bouncing up and down uncontrollably as he leaned back against the wall. If anyone noticed they were too polite to say as much, and so Fitz kept his gaze trained to the screen and his dominant hand clamped over his knee in a bid to stop the trembling.

Ward walked a few paces ahead of the rest of the team, an automatic rifle in his hands poised to fire - although at what, he had no idea. Coulson and Simmons followed after him, and Morse brought up the rear, occasionally walking backwards in order to sweep her gaze around the undergrowth and the abandoned buildings that lined the dirt road.

Ward suddenly held up his hand and the team stumbled to a halt.

"What is it?" Coulson called, stepping forward to take the lead. Any further questions died on his lips, however, as Ward stared down grimly at the already decomposing bodies of three villagers, who all seemed to have been stricken far too suddenly. Their faces were contorted by pure terror, and their fingers had begun to curl and calcify, the tips already disintegrated away.

"My God..." Tripp breathed as he leaned over Skye's shoulder in order to peer at the monitor she was partially obscuring in her desperation to keep an eye on their friends.

"What the hell could have caused that?" Skye murmured, drawing her arms around her body as she was racked by an involuntary shudder.

"I've never seen anything like it," May conceded, her lip curled in disgust, although her tone remained as neutral as ever. She crossed her arms and cocked her head as they watched through the camera and Simmons bent down in order to closer examine the bodies.

Skye swallowed audibly as she noted the light brown article clutched in the hand of one of the corpses, realising that it was a teddy bear, worn and slightly moulting from age and the over enthusiastic loving of its young owner. She looked away quickly, blinking to dispel the tears that pooled in the corners of her eyes and threatened to betray the impressive mask she had slipped on ready for the mission at hand.

"How could anyone be so cruel?" Skye whispered, not trusting her voice to hold out. She glanced down as she felt Tripp's hand lock gently around her elbow in a comforting gesture, and the Specialist smiled down at her with innate sadness reflected in his eyes.

"We'll stop them," he assured her softly, "before they can do this again."

"Jemma, can you shed any light on the situation?" May prompted, raising her voice as she directed her question at the scientist, who had already begun to climb to her feet.

They waited several moments before the woman eventually found her voice, and as she bent down to gingerly hold a Geiger counter over the nearest corpse, a shaky breath escaped her.

"I've seen this before... when I was undercover at Hydra."

Peering at the hideously contorted face of the young woman she was kneeling beside, a wave of nausea washed over Jemma without warning and she stumbled as she attempted to stand. A firm hand gripped her bicep and Ward held her steady as he tried his best to offer her a reassuring smile from behind the tinted mask of his biohazard suit.

"Thanks," Jemma said quietly, her lips drawing into a line as she glanced up at him in begrudging gratitude.

Coulson nodded toward a tiny white washed church, and the team fanned out behind him in response to the unspoken order. As they picked their way across the ground, they remained mindful of the numerous corpses, both human and animal, that littered the streets, trying their best not to disturb the makeshift mass grave any more than was truly necessary.

Ward grimaced as he came upon the body of a man and a small child, and he noted with both curiosity and revulsion how the flies that had settled on the corpses also seemed to have succumbed to the same fate. Dead insects lay on the necks and open eyeballs of the victims, creating an even more horrific image than the Specialist would have thought possible. Ward found an unfamiliar tightness weighing on his chest as he relied on his training just to force his feet to carry him toward the church.

He already knew what lay inside the building and had half come to terms with it already; so when he and Bobbi pulled open the doors, the gruesome scene that met them was no surprise to him at all.

"Oh, my God," Skye swallowed down the bile that had risen in the back of her throat, and her eyes slammed shut in an effort to block out the scene. She turned from the screen, truly revolted by the carnage her colleagues had happened upon. For once, she was glad to be sitting a field mission out, truly thankful that she had no really relevant skills to the situation.

May closed her eyes, certain that that image would be burned forever onto her subconscious. From behind her, the tell-tale sound of retching alerted her to Fitz, emptying the contents of his stomach into a trash can.

"We need to take some samples... then can we please get as far away from here as humanly possible?" Jemma said quietly, trying to summon the 'stiff upper lip' that her countrymen were famed for.

"Where are we meeting our guy from the CDC?" Bobbi interjected, her gaze sweeping the church for any slight signs of a still present threat as Jemma began to inch her way across the floor. She walked on the tiptoes of her boots, arms extended to aid her balance.

Masses of bodies littered the ground, hands outstretched to each other and eyes frozen open wide in horror and agony. Parents curled around children and lovers clung to each other, suspended eternally in their final embraces. In the centre of the aisle, the priest lay face down, still clad in his robes and with a less than serene expression pulling his features taut.

Jemma only barely managed to suppress the wave of emotion that threatened to drown her, reminding herself that if she fell apart they would have no hope of getting to the bottom of whatever had swept through the town so rapidly and left it desolate.

"The next town over, about twenty miles from here," Coulson finally replied, his tone low and uncharacteristically sombre, "we'll carry out our investigation here, gather the samples, and then head back to the Bus."

"Then it's chemical showers for all," Bobbi enthused with feigned cheerfulness, wrinkling her nose at the bridge as she watched Jemma bend down and begin to scrape fragments of skin cells from the fingers of a nearby corpse.

Simmons' hand shook as she edged the scalpel blade toward the stump that had once been the young woman's finger, and she turned her head hurriedly away from the body of the infant who rested beside her.

Ward watched closely, and though he wanted to help, he was unsure of the reaction his offer might provoke. However, after watching Jemma struggle for several seconds, and hearing the distinctive sound of sniffles and quiet sobs coming from inside the hood of her biohazard suit, Ward dropped down into a crouching position at her side.

Manoeuvring his gun across his knee, Ward reached out and placed his gloved hand over hers. "Here... Let me."

Jemma looked up sharply, yet instead of the irritated reply Ward had anticipated, she nodded her head and passed the scalpel into his much steadier hand.

She blinked through teary eyes as Ward carefully deposited a chunk of the apparently mineralised flesh into a plastic specimen container, before handing it to the scientist for labelling.

Quickly coming to her senses and trying to shake off any further tears, Agent Simmons inhaled slowly and turned on her heel, leaving the Specialist to once again pick up his gun and joining his colleagues at the front of their expedition.

"Agent Ward?"

He paused at hearing his own name, then turned to regard his commanding officer who had apparently watched the exchange between the two agents.

Coulson nodded toward Jemma and allowed his watchful gaze to linger on her for a moment.

"Give it time," he advised, earning nothing but a silent nod from the younger man.

Ward cast a further, strained gaze over the church and its deceased occupants, feeling a lump rise in his throat, which he managed to choke back down with some effort. Time was something that was perhaps now in short supply.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

The lab was on lock down; Simmons had returned from the mission in perfect silence, which she had yet to shatter as she milled about the lab with Fitz, clad in a fresh biohazard suit. Despite this, the pair worked together in perfect synchronicity, the unbroken quiet never once seeming to effect their productivity. It was almost a beautiful sight to behold, given that the last few months had been hard on Fitz as he had attempted to overcome the injuries sustained during their escape from the submerged pod. There had been a point where the almost psychic link shared by the scientists had seemed damaged beyond repair; whilst Fitz had struggled to force his mouth and brain to work in unison once again, Simmons had floundered and fumbled ineloquently through her desire to help him. A strange sort of contention had been cultivated between the two, and it was in fact only Ward's return to the team that had reunited the scientists and begun to mend their bond. When they were focussed on their mutual distrust of the Specialist, they were less inclined to consider how their own relationship was at odds.

Skye watched from outside the lab door, a shudder coursing through her body every time her eyes were drawn to the partially disintegrated finger that Fitzsimmons were running tests on. She jammed her hands into the pockets of her jeans and forced herself to back away from the glass, knowing that her hovering was of little use to the scientists.

Her old Rising Tide contacts and the government databases of several countries that were prime suspects in the attack, had turned up no pertinent information and Skye had hit a brick wall. The apparent plague that had burned through the town of Teocelo was unlike any other that had gone before it; the symptoms bore no similarities to any other known ailment and the semi-calcified state that the victims' internal organs were left in was as mystifying as it was horrifying. Collectively, the team appeared to be drawing a blank, and that did not sit well with any of them.

Sensing a presence behind her, Skye turned slowly and nodded a greeting as she found herself peering into the face of the Cavalry.

"How's it going in there?" May inquired, forgoing any pleasantries to incline her head towards the sealed lab. Skye snorted and folded her arms, her eyes gleaming with her amusement.

"Well, I'm no science expert but if Fitz's cursing is anything to go by, I'm going to guess 'not good' is probably an understatement."

May let out a weary sigh that was almost too quiet to catch before shooting a glance down at her wristwatch.

"How long before the 'big guy' touches down?" Skye inquired, her voice rising an octave in betrayal of her sudden excitement.

"Ward should be rolling out the welcome wagon any time now," May replied, clasping her hands behind her back as she peered into the lab to watch Fitz and Simmons taking turns to peer down the lens of a microscope.

Skye rubbed her hands absently up and down her arms, resisting the urge to bite down on her bottom lip. The idea of Ward remaining in the centre of ground zero of a possibly alien outbreak was hardly a comforting thought, although it was a necessary risk of the job.

Against her better judgement, May decided to offer the young agent a few words of comfort, and she cleared her throat to secure Skye's attention. Staring straight ahead, as if purposefully avoiding the younger woman's gaze, Melinda battled against her own discomfort. The rather unfortunate and compromising scene that had greeted her the previous evening was still fresh in her mind, but she was determined to shake Skye from her fit of brooding. It was unbecoming for a SHIELD agent, after all.

"Ward can handle himself, he'll be fine," May said curtly, earning a brief smile of both relief and obvious amusement from the hacker.

Skye bobbed her head in reply, glancing to her side as Bobbi strolled across the control room, still rubbing the ends of her hair with a towel monogrammed with the SHIELD logo.

"I swear I'm never gonna feel clean again," Morse grimaced, tossing the towel across the floor of the cargo hold and earning a scowl of disapproval from May.

"So, how's it looking in there?" queried Bobbi, jerking her head toward the lab as she too folded her arms and surveyed the scene.

Skye frowned, "Oh, you know... tense, chaotic, a little volatile... Mostly, diseased."

Bobbi only wrinkled her nose in response, clearly relieved to be standing on what she viewed as the right side of the locked lab doors.

"The sooner we get out of here, the better," Bobbi finally stated, shaking her head as she peered through the lab window. "This place... well, saying it gives me the creeps is kind of the biggest understatement of the century."

"I can't say it was exactly what I had in mind when I pictured visiting Mexico," Skye admonished, shooting a glance at Bobbi, "I figured there'd be less death and more chimichangas."

"Clearly you've never eaten chimichangas from a roadside food stand in Mexico City," Bobbi snorted with an arched eyebrow, "trust me when I say that death would have been a blessing."

Skye considered the implications of her friend's words for only a moment before grimacing, "Ew. Gross."

Rolling her eyes, May took the opportunity that Skye's disgust presented to retreat from the conversation. She was already half way up the staircase before Skye had noted that she was no longer standing at her elbow.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that guy was Hydra," Bobbi joked with a snort of laughter, hoping to cajole Skye into her first genuine smile of the afternoon. She knew all too well the reason behind the analyst's somewhat subdued mood. Dating a fellow agent was against the rules for a reason; several reasons, if Mockingbird were being honest. Her relationship with Lance had been problematic for the most part, but taking part in ops together had been the most major issue that they'd each had to work to overcome.

Skye cleared her throat, wondering if Bobbi would be any more or less receptive to the question playing on her tongue than May would.

Trying her best to feign nonchalance, Skye directed her gaze back to the lab, where Fitz and Simmons appeared to be bickering, complete with animated hand gestures that made Skye wince given their proximity to vials of deadly substances.

"So..." Skye began tentatively, glad that May was now out of earshot for the time being. She glanced furtively around just for reassurance before she continued, "You think Ward's okay? I mean, who knows how this thing is transmitted, and he's been down there for a while now, and I know that he..."

Skye paused as Bobbi nudged her gently with her elbow, causing her to fall abruptly silent.

"He looks fine to me," she stated loudly, watching with the trace of a smile tugging at her lips as a tall, somewhat imposing figure descended the staircase.

Skye blinked in surprise, ignoring Bobbi's snort of amused laughter as Ward strode toward them, an uneasy smile in place.

"I had no idea you were back," Skye blurted out, taking several steps forward to meet Ward. Her hands drifted upwards almost instinctively and came to rest on the lapels of the black casual shirt he had changed into, fresh from his chemical shower. His hair was still wet and unstyled, although heavily tousled as though he had run his hand through it numerous times. It was a habit he adopted when stressed, Skye knew, and she resisted the urge to frown up at him even as he carefully slipped his stoic mask in place.

"Banner's a fast worker," he replied, shooting a quick glance in the direction of the lab, where it appeared Fitz and Simmons were finishing up with their tests. "There's a quinjet taking him back to his laboratory at an undisclosed location, where he'll work on categorising the virus and looking into a possible antidote. Coulson and I got back a little while after Morse. I guess you were still in your bunk."

"I hacked the satellite like Coulson asked," said Skye, beginning to toy nervously with the hem of her own shirt as she peered up at Grant, "at one pm local time yesterday there were four hundred and eighty three residents in Teocelo. By three pm local time yesterday, there were just seventeen."

Ward shook his head, again raking one hand through his damp hair as he gazed off to one side, his mind turning over the information Skye had uncovered.

"That's some fast acting virus," Bobbi interjected, frowning. Her tone carried undercurrents of unease, just as Skye's had, but she kept both her posture and expression neutral, as all good agents were schooled to do.

"But are we looking at a patient 'x' scenario or some kind of chemical warfare?" Ward mused, beginning to massage the nape of his neck with his palm.

"My question exactly, Agent Ward," Coulson said as he chose that moment to stroll into the cargo hold. He peered at the analyst expectantly and folded his arms across his chest, "May told me you have something to show us?"

"Oh, uh... yeah," Skye jumped to attention, snatching up her tablet from the top of a nearby storage box and beginning to tap away at it furiously with one hand. Her fingers drifted rapidly across the screen in a flurry of activity, until she finally stabbed forcefully and turned the screen toward the SHIELD director.

"Okay, so this is the town at ten am yesterday. Those red dots you can see are people. There's nothing unusual, no freaky weather conditions, no atmospheric changes, just people going about their business."

Coulson craned his neck to get a better look at the image, as Ward too moved closer to Skye's side in order to examine the tablet. Skye gestured to the satellite images and began an account of the activity it had recorded.

"This is 1.14pm local time."

"The red dots are disappearing," Coulson observed, watching closely as Skye allowed the footage to depict a two hour time lapse. His eyes narrowed as he viewed the images, and wondered if he was misinterpreting the data. "Wait... that's less than two hours later?"

"Yep. By 4pm..." her tone suddenly softened, and she looked between the two men with wide eyes, "there were seventeen survivors. All unaccounted for."

"Wait, unaccounted for as in, they died?" Bobbi inquired, evidently confused as she elbowed Ward in the midsection to get a better look at the tablet. He grunted quietly, rubbing at the sore spot and shooting the other Specialist a dirty look that went unnoticed.

Skye shook her head, handing the tablet back to Coulson without taking her eyes off Bobbi.

"Not as far as I can tell," she replied, the words tumbling from her lips as she continued with her excitement obviously mounting, "not unless they all died at precisely the same moment."

Coulson's head shot up and he arched an eyebrow at Skye, encouraging her to continue.

"Well, at exactly fifteen forty-nine hours, all of those dots just blinked out of existence," Skye revealed, brown eyes shining as she regarded Coulson, who found the slightest hint of a proud smile twitching at the corners of his lips. Skye ploughed on, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she rushed to deliver her findings, "Want to know something else highly suspicious? All of those people were concentrated within the same area. An 18, 000 square foot area, to be more specific. So what I'm thinking is, some kind of..."

"Planned extraction," Coulson finished, his hand drifting to the base of Skye's back as he admonished, "good work, Skye."

"I'm willing to bet that once the CDC starts bagging up bodies, we have seventeen missing John Does," Skye finished.

"So, it's Hydra?" Bobbi demanded, barely noticing as Ward stiffened in discomfort beside her. Skye awarded him with a gentle, reassuring smile but he returned the gesture with some difficulty, his posture growing more rigid and uncomfortable.

"Maybe, maybe not," Coulson answered, rubbing at the stubble peppering his jaw. "Skye, what was located in the area you're talking about?"

"It's an old community hospital. A pharmaceutical company ran vaccination clinics and outreach programs out of it. I pulled up some aerial shots of the building and it looks pretty standard; there's no fence, no security features."

"That we can see," Ward interjected, shooting Skye a pointed smile.

Skye bobbed her head in agreement but continued on with her summation, "The building's been vacant for eighteen years so there's no electricity supply or water and, ironically, it's the only place in town that doesn't have a pile of dead bodies inside."

Coulson appeared momentarily lost in thought, and when he finally voiced his suspicions his voice carried the faintest traces of revulsion, "The village is a test site."

"A test site?" Skye repeated, "a test for what?"

Ward's jaw set, and his eyes remained fixed on the tablet screen as he replied quietly, "A biological weapon. Potentially alien in origin."

Skye fell suddenly and abruptly silent, her mind drifting back to the well-worn teddy bear and its impossibly tiny owner. She swallowed down the lump in her throat with some difficulty. She had witnessed evil before, stared it in the face even, but this was something she could scarcely comprehend. To think that there was an organisation out there capable of forfeiting the lives of so many innocent people for the sake of a weapon brought Skye almost physical pain.

"I'll start digging into the company behind the clinic," Skye stated, shooting a glance to Coulson for confirmation. "I'll check out their affiliations, general MO, stakeholders, directors... the usual."

Coulson nodded once and then directed his attention to Bobbi.

"Meeting with the CDC in twenty. I'd like you there alongside Jemma," he instructed before directing a glance at Ward and adding, "Agent Ward, help wherever you can be useful. Not a lot of call for a Specialist in these situations."

"Yes, sir," Ward assented, his posture straightening on impulse as Coulson walked by with a thoroughly unimpressed looking Bobbi trailing in his wake.

Skye released the breath she had been holding and Ward watched in mild concern as she ran her hands through her hair, her gaze fixed almost forlornly on the floor.

"How could somebody do this?" she demanded, shaking her head, "women, children... little babies... All to test some stupid weapon? How could a human being _do_ that to other human beings?"

"I don't know," Ward replied honestly, refusing to allow the images he had seen in the village to return to the forefront of his mind, where they could better effect him. He knew that even in his darkest moments, he could never have harmed an innocent. Ward stepped closer and placed his hand on Skye's shoulder, opening his arms to allow her to turn into his embrace.

Skye wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and leant her head on his chest, content to allow him to brush his fingertips through her hair.

"This is Hydra- it has to be," she spat, the bitterness and abject hatred more than conveying her loathing for the organisation. Although they had dealt with other villains and individuals bent on world domination or other unspeakable acts, the mass murder of an entire village could only be the doing of Hydra, to Skye's mind.

"Probably, or at the very least, someone using Hydra technology," Ward allowed, squeezing her a little tighter in response. He wasn't sure if it was for his own reassurance or his fear of Skye pushing him away. Either way, Skye pressed her cheek against his chest and held onto him just as tightly.

"Okay... I have work to do," Skye began resolutely, brushing at the errant tears that were balanced precariously on the tip of her eye lashes, before she awarded Ward a small smile, "you wanna help?"

"Sure," he murmured, suddenly silenced as Skye leant up and pressed her lips hurriedly against his.

"Well..." Ward began, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her forehead as he gestured toward the tablet still clutched to her chest, "there's no bad guys to take out, no bombs to defuse, and since this is more your area of expertise than mine... I guess I'll go make coffee?"

Skye beamed in approval, "Nawww, I have such a good SO."

Ward laughed softly, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "More like... a concerned boyfriend."

"_Boyfriend_," she repeated, testing the word on her tongue, "I think I like that better."

Ward only smirked in response before turning on his heel and starting up the stairs towards the upper level of the Bus, thankful that his latest mission was at least an easy one; coffee, white, three sugars. If only every other aspect of life with SHIELD could be quite as simple.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four**_

Curling her knees underneath her body, Skye shifted slightly on the couch in order to allow a weary looking Simmons to plop down at her side. The scientist had been working non-stop for several hours in the lab, running various tests on the samples they had taken in Teocelo. Realistically, Jemma knew that the best she could hope for was a positive ID on the particular virus or strain of bacteria that had spread through the village, but even that presently seemed like a stretch of her abilities. She had been forced to distance herself from the lab when her vision had begun to swim as a consequence of her exhaustion. Fitz had retired to his bunk a while before that point, a headache having put paid to any assistance he could hope to provide in his already generally befuddled state.

Skye shot Simmons a sly, sideways glance, watching as she allowed her head to drop back and her eyelids began to flutter closed. It was fast approaching eleven pm and the team collectively had yet to take a break, all seemingly fueled by their horror and disgust at the organisation that had perpetrated such a crime. The scheduled meeting was an opportunity to share whatever they had learned throughout the day, and to plan their next logical move. Skye wasn't certain that she had the energy left in her to be truly constructive but she was there nonetheless, a thick wedge of papers in her lap to show for her day's work.

Contemplating resting her eyes for a few minutes, Skye yawned and let her own head fall back against the couch in a similar pose to her colleague.

The seconds ticked by quietly and she began to feel her breathing even out, signalling that sleep was about to imminently snatch her up. That is, until she felt a pair of eyes trained upon her, and a slow small twitched at her lips instead.

"You gonna sit your ass down over here with us, or just stand in the doorway like a creeper?" Skye teased, opening her eyes a crack to see Ward standing in the darkened doorway, his arms folded against his chest.

"Hmm? What?" Jemma asked, blinking in confusion as she stretched her arms out in front of her, stretching out her tired limbs.

Following her friend's gaze, Jemma's eyes fell on Ward and she cleared her throat in understanding.

"Oh. Uh, yes. Why don't you join us, Agent Ward?" Jemma suggested somewhat stiffly, ignoring the curious glance Skye shot her.

Taken aback by the invitation, Ward stepped somewhat hesitantly closer as Skye beamed and extended her arms out to him. She shuffled closer to Simmons and allowed Ward to take the seat beside her on the end of the couch, deciding that playing 'piggy in the middle' might still be the best tactic, despite Jemma's unusually hospitable turn.

Skye reached for Ward's hand and looped his arm around her own waist until she had snuggled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. Though Grant was still wary of public displays of affection in front of their team mates, Skye had long ago stopped caring what anybody else thought. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was happy, and if their numerous brushes with death had taught her anything it was that life was short; she intended to seize any chance at love wholeheartedly.

As Grant's lips pressed gently against her cheek, a contended sigh escaped Skye.

Ward watched her intently, and Jemma noted how he exuded obvious awe as his eyes swept over the brunette in his arms. He bent his head to whisper in Skye's ear, and the soft smile he elicited made Jemma feel as if she were somehow intruding upon a deeply private moment.

"Agent Ward," she began, clearing her throat and diverting her gaze to her lap, "I... I uh... I want to thank you for... well, I mean, for... for helping me out down there... in the village... with the... d-dead people."

Ward's eyes widened at the sudden interruption from the woman who had spent the better part of months giving him the cold shoulder, and he adopted the poise of a deer in the headlights. With difficulty, Ward gulped down the lump in his throat and managed to flash Jemma a wan smile.

"It's fine," he replied, his tone surprisingly smooth to his own ears, "tough situation. I think we're all feeling it."

"Indeed," Jemma assented softly, her lips twitching as she fought against a grimace. "It's terribly... difficult."

Skye opened her eyes again, shooting Simmons a look of clear understanding before she extended a hand and squeezed her friend's elbow. This time, Simmons did consent to smile, but the gesture was lacking in her usual warmth and innocence. Skye thought that perhaps they would all remain a little jaded by the day's events.

"We'll catch whatever monster did this," Skye whispered in such vehement promise that Jemma could only nod along in agreement.

The three team members immediately drew themselves up straighter as Coulson breezed into the room, clutching his Captain America mug with one hand and a plastic folder with his other. Agent May trailed behind him, her usual non-communicative expression in place, and Fitz practically stumbled along in the rear of the party, still bleary eyed and looking worse for wear. Seconds later, Bobbi entered the lounge area and dropped unapologetically onto the arm of the couch at Ward's side, pausing to throw her feet up onto the coffee table despite the warning glare she earned for doing so from May.

Coulson stood in front of the team and appraised each of them with an analytical gaze.

He inhaled, slow and deep, before appearing to contemplate his next order. All but May looked to be in the throes of sleep deprivation and the Director was aware that there was precious little more he could ask of them for the remainder of the day. The team received the slim manila folders May passed to each of them with minimal enthusiasm.

"I'll keep this brief," he began, hiding a smile as Skye and Bobbi looked visibly relieved at hearing the words, "at zero nine hundred hours, we'll be arriving in Massachusetts, where Agent Ward will be visiting the head office of the Medcore corporation."

"Sir," Ward nodded, waiting for Coulson to elaborate as to what his 'visit' may involve.

"Dress smartly, Agent Ward; suit, tie, you might wanna think about a little cologne..." Coulson made a brief gesture toward his own neck before glancing down to the folder in in his hands, "this young lady is Jennifer Fitzgerald. Miss Fitzgerald is a new pharmaceutical rep. with Medcore. Twenty five, single, and a recruit from their Desmoine offices. Agent Ward, I need you to make friends with Miss. Fitzgerald. See if you can get access to..."

"_To_?" Skye drawled, seemingly appalled by the idea, as her eyes grew wider. Yet Ward simply bobbed his head, apparently familiar with the ploy Coulson was hoping to pull.

"The labs?" Coulson supplied, confused by the question.

"So this is like what? Some kind of Richard Gere gig?" Skye peered around the room at a sea of blank faces, "Richard Gere? _'American Gigilo'_? Come on guys, really?"

"It's far too freaking late for pop culture references," Bobbi scolded, seemingly having a hard time in stifling a yawn as she regarded Skye, who glanced away and shrugged.

"Coulson isn't asking Ward to whore himself out, if that's what you're concerned about," May stated dryly, her lips twitching in threat of a smirk as Skye let out a choking sound.

Shaking his head and shooting a disparaging glance at Melinda, Coulson returned his attention to the mission brief. At Skye's side, Ward looked thoroughly embarrassed, his neck and cheeks beginning to flush red as he kept his eyes trained straight ahead on Coulson, despite the fact that he surely felt the attention of every other agent in the room upon him.

"Buy her coffee, hold the elevator for her, talk about the weather, express an interest in her work..." Coulson suggested, shaking his head in disbelief, "this is a renowned pharmaceutical company, not a bordello."

"I've taken part in this sort of mission before, sir. I know the drill," Ward stressed, feeling his skin burn even redder as Skye folded her arms across her chest and rewarded him with an 'oh, really' expression that left him with no doubt that he'd be explaining himself later on.

Skye rolled her eyes, shooting May and then Coulson an indignant glare. When it came to field work, she may have been comparatively green compared to the others, but she was certainly no idiot.

"Yes, I know, I didn't think you were sending him in to..." she struggled to finish, "_her pants._"

Ward raised his eyes to the ceiling, hiding his mortification behind a cough.

A smirk twitched at Coulson's lips, and he held up his hands, deciding that enough was most certainly enough and that the team now needed to rest if he was to avoid any more similarly painful conversations.

"Alright, hit the sack, that's an order. I don't want to see any of you until zero seven hundred hours. We'll continue this agonising and awkward conversation then. Goodnight, agents," he dismissed them, happy to see them all file off in the direction of their bunks.

"G'night, DC," Skye called out, managing to toss a charming grin over her shoulder in Coulson's direction as she latched onto Ward's arm and began tugging him insistently down the corridor.

"Sleep," Coulson ordered, his tone weary and a sigh escaping him as he listened to Skye's chatter recede as she disappeared down the hallway.

Feeling May's eyes upon him, Coulson turned with a warning expression in place, jabbing one finger in the Specialist's direction as he demanded, "Not a word, Agent May."

With just a slight inclination of her head, and a smile that could be mistaken as almost serene, May sauntered down the corridor, managing to say more with her silence alone than should be humanly possible.

**x-x-x **

Sitting cross-legged in the centre of the bed, Skye watched as Ward fastened the buttons on the crisp, white starched shirt he had moments before tugged on.

She ran a hand though to the ends of her slightly tousled hair, gazing back at the empty sheets with the traces of a petulant pout forming on her lips.

She ran the fabric of a dark silver tie through her fingers, as she fought with her own insecurities and tried desperately to resist the urge to voice her concerns out loud. Becoming momentarily distracted as she watched Grant tuck the tails of his shirt inside his pressed dress pants, she huffed out a sigh as he tugged up his zip and cast a knowing look at his girlfriend.

Skye smiled despite herself and knelt up on the bed, waiting until he was dutifully standing in front of her before she slid the tie around his neck and began to knot it with nimble fingers.

He watched her intently, his face so close to hers that her breath ghosted his cheek, and he found his eyes drawn to her mouth, where she was currently chewing her bottom lip with her teeth.

"So..." she began, popping down his collar and smoothing the strip of fabric with her palm as an afterthought, "exactly how flirty are we gonna get here? I'm just asking, I mean, I'm totally fine with it. It's just a mission, right?! Just regular, every day, undercover stuff!"

Ward knew her babbling was undoubtedly more for her own benefit than his, but he nodded reassuringly. He dipped his head to hold her gaze, placing his hands on her hips to pull her closer against him.

"Green isn't your colour, Skye," he teased, pinching her waist and chuckling as she recoiled from his touch but then slid her arms possessively around his neck until they were chest to chest.

"Real funny," Skye retorted, a smile dancing across her lips even as she struggled to maintain a neutral expression.

"You have nothing to worry about," Ward assuaged, brushing the tips of their noses together before initiating a kiss that was as soft as it was brief. Skye allowed her eyelids to flicker closed even though the kiss had ended, and a small groan escaped her.

"I'm doing that horrible, crazy, possessive girlfriend thing, aren't I?" she inquired, opening her eyes to peer at Ward and screwing up her nose to demonstrate her disgust. He chuckled and shook his head, feeling his heart soar a little in response.

"You're the only one for me, Skye. Always have been, always will be, no matter what," he promised, his tone growing husky and so intensely sincere that Skye found herself blinking up at him in surprise.

"I like the sound of that," she murmured, before pulling forward in order to fold herself into Ward's arms. She pressed her cheek against his chest, careful not to rumple his pristine shirt, and breathed the scent of his cologne in deeply, allowing it to wash over her in soothing waves.

Reluctantly, Ward ran his hand through her hair one final time before stepping out of her arms in order to return to the dresser, upon which he had left his comb and a tube of hair product.

"You will be careful, won't you?" Skye said suddenly, sitting back on her heels on the mattress and glancing away, out of the window far across the air field that they would be calling home for the next few days, or perhaps even weeks.

"Always am," he affirmed, pulling on a sharply tailored grey jacket as he shot her a reassuring look and then ran the comb through his hair whilst bending to peer in the mirror.

"Uh-huh," Skye raised both eyebrows in apparent disbelief, "says the guy who in the three years I've known him has gotten shot and beaten, jumped out of a plane, possessed by an alien psycho stick, mind-controlled by an Asgardian hoe-bag, blown up, stranded in the armpit of Russia..."

Skye leaned back against the mattress on her palms, the faintest traces of a smile tugging at her lips as she observed the obscenely handsome figure he cut. A familiar longing tugged at the pit of her stomach, and she licked her lips.

"I could go on..." she recovered admirably.

Ward chuckled, watching as Skye hopped down from the bed and crossed the space separating them. His eyes ran greedily over her, the expanse of tanned skin her shorts and tank top revealed bringing a wolfish smile to his face that didn't go unnoticed by Skye. She arched an eyebrow and slid her arms around his neck, conscious that the action pushed her barely covered breasts front and centre. From the entirely distracted expression on Ward's face, he had definitely noticed and she wasted no time in pressing completely flush against him. Realising that resistance was futile, he sighed in reservation as he pondered the prospect of throwing her down on the bed and severely wrinkling the suit he had painstakingly pressed; it was probably not an option, yet his body appeared not to be listening to his brain. Even as he mulled over just how angry Coulson would be if they were late to the briefing, his hands had suddenly slid down to curve around her rear. Ward's lips found the spot on her neck that never failed to elicit a whimper of approval from his girlfriend, and he sucked on the skin a little.

"How pissed do you think Coulson would be if we were tardy?" Skye panted, struggling to catch her breath before claiming his lips in a frenzied kiss as he lifted her off her feet. Her legs wound tightly around his waist and he stumbled back against the wall.

"Furious," Ward replied without missing a beat, before his lips crashed against hers again and he swallowed her moan of approval with a hungry kiss. Resting her weight against the wall, he allowed his free hand to wander the expanse of her skin, slipping beneath the hem of her top to advance towards her breasts. The all too gentle knock on the door unfortunately went unnoticed by the couple, but as the bunk door suddenly slid open to reveal Fitz and Simmons standing on the threshold, the pair turned towards the intruders with equally horrified expressions.

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" Fitz stammered, hiding his eyes and looking away as the image of groping hands and gyrating pelvises became etched in his mind.

"Oh. No! Sorry!" Simmons shouted, holding up her hand as if she were looking up at the sun and it was about to burn straight through her retinas, "I... We didn't know you were both in here... doing... things."

Regaining some semblance of control, Fitz slammed the bunk door shut again, drowning out Jemma's embarrassed babbling to a degree. Skye unlocked her legs from around Ward's waist and planted her feet back on the floor, gazing up at him as she straightened his tie once again. The smile Ward bestowed upon her was chagrined but sincere, and she returned the gesture with ease.

"You have nothing to worry about," he reiterated simply, pausing to incline his head and brush his lips against her cheek. With a small chuckle, he amended, "Except looking FitzSimmons in the eye for the rest of the day."

As he moved away to return to the mirror and correct the damage to his attire that their sudden tryst had caused, Skye could only watch as a distinctly bad feeling washed over her. The smile she had worn faded from her lips and she wrapped her arms around her body, guarding against the early morning chill but also the shudder of trepidation that coursed through her.

She had finally come to place her trust in Ward again, of that she was certain. However, there was something about the current mission that set alarm bells ringing in Skye's head from the get go. Not only was she concerned for her lover, but for the entire team, who she had come to regard as the only family she had ever had.

Skye had a bad feeling about the whole situation that no amount of deep breathing or meditative thought seemed able to dispel, but there was little she could do other than stay alert and focus on her own role. SHIELD was the last line of defense against threats such as the one that had managed to claim an entire South American village, and Skye would be damned if she allowed the fact that she had been spooked to stand in the way of protecting more innocent people. Finally, she was part of the greater good, and Skye intended to live up to that image, regardless of her own reservations about the present case.

Catching Ward's eye in the mirror, she shot him a smile injected with a confidence that she did not feel as she pushed down her silly superstitions, hoping that they were just that.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

The lobby of Medcore was a veritable hive of activity, with a steady stream of employees filtering in and out of the building for their daily lunchtime escape.

Beside the imposing skyscraper, a modest quadrangle garden provided a brief respite to those who sought it, and as the sun beat down upon the city, it seemed that most of the staff had decided to take advantage of the weather.

Turning the page of his newspaper, Ward sat on a bench beneath a tree, lying in wait for his mark to make an appearance. This would of course have been easier had he not been listening to FitzSimmons and Skye bickering through his earpiece about coffee mugs on the holo-table.

"Any time, guys," he muttered softly, momentarily distracted as a pigeon strutted toward him and began pecking at a sandwich crust near his foot.

"Sorry! Okay... Looks like she's headed around the corner now..." Skye stated, the smile clearly evident in her tone as she taunted, "go get her, stud!"

Ward rolled his eyes and retorted, "I can't do this if you're gonna talk all the way through."

"Not usually a problem for you," Skye countered mischievously, "Agent Ward, are you having performance anxieties?"

Ward made an indignant choking sound but managed to refrain from blushing, which was a small mercy given the fact that a familiar blonde haired woman had begun to walk towards him. She carried a briefcase in one hand with a stack of papers wedged underneath the same arm and a cup of coffee balanced precariously in her opposing hand, as she tottered along in a pair of high heels that seemed to be making it increasingly difficult for her to move in a straight line.

Folding the newspaper he held, Ward placed it onto the bench at his side and examined his watch; right on time, his mark had appeared. He could only hope that the rest of the operation would run quite so smoothly.

Quickly, Grant appraised the distance between himself and Jennifer Fitzgerald, before bolting out of his seat and deliberately veering into the woman's path. He kept his gaze trained on a random spot in the distance, feigning obliviousness to her person until their bodies literally collided. The Styrofoam coffee cup sailed into the air and landed a few feet away, exploding and sending steaming cinnamon spiced latte spilling out across the tarmac. The briefcase fell from the woman's hand and sprang open as it connected with the ground, whilst the stack of papers flew out of her grasp and scattered in front of her, some being picked up by the breeze.

Jennifer let out a startled gasp, immediately dropping onto her knees to retrieve her briefcase and hurriedly pull it closed once again.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, ma'am," Ward stammered, adopting an expression of exaggerated embarrassment as he stooped onto the ground in front of Jennifer and began to gather her papers into his arms. As he worked, he surreptitiously scanned the documents, a little disappointed when he found nothing relevant to immediately jump out at him.

"I'm such a klutz sometimes," he continued, peering at the woman from behind hooded lashes, and noting with satisfaction how she instantly locked eyes with him. Jennifer sucked in a breath, rendered momentarily dumb by her sudden proximity to the handsome stranger who currently clutched a handful of her notes.

"It's okay," she answered in a rush, glancing back down at the ground as she felt her cheeks redden as a consequence of the intensity of Ward's gaze.

"No, it's really not, I should have been looking where I was going. I've made such a mess," he said apologetically, softening his tone and shooting the woman a small, hopeful smile as he added, "please, let me replace your drink. It's the least I can do."

"Oh, no... really, it's fine," she shook her head, finding herself smiling up at the man even as she tried to politely decline his offer.

"It'd be my pleasure... really," Ward shot her his most breathtaking smile, cocking his head and trying his best to look both pleading and alluring. Apparently, he had managed both quite admirably, and Jennifer flushed as she began to nod her head.

"Well, I have a meeting at 2.30, but... I guess I have time for coffee?" the words emerging as more of a question than a statement.

"Perfect," Ward answered with a charming smile, gesturing to a nearby coffee shop, "I'm pretty new to the area, is this place okay with you?"

Jennifer shrugged as she struggled to hoist her briefcase back up onto her shoulder, "Oh, you know I'm new to these parts too. So uh... Yeah, I guess."

"James..." Ward extended his hand and she accepted it wordlessly, hoping he hadn't noticed how her gaze swept his tall, lean figure with obvious approval.

"Jennifer... Uh, Jen. Jennifer... I..." she laughed and rolled her eyes, "Jennifer, my name's Jennifer and it's nice to meet you, James."

From the comms. device in his ear, Ward heard what sounded suspiciously like applause.

"Way to go, James. That's pretty fast work," Skye teased.

Ignoring the childish giggles and whispers filtering in through his earpiece, Ward did his best to look abashed as he awkwardly offered Jennifer his arm. She slipped her arm through his seemingly without a second thought, her smile radiant and a certain spring to her step as she trotted along at Ward's side.

Several minutes later, the couple were seated around a small, intimate table in the corner of the coffee house, two mugs set down between them. Ward had already managed to extract a surprising amount of personal information from the woman under the guise of making small talk whilst queueing up for their drinks. By the time they had picked out a table and seated themselves, Jennifer was already running through her education history, keeping up a steady stream of somewhat nervous chatter. It was all Ward could do to maintain a semi-interested expression as he propped his chin in his hands and made quiet noises of affirmation at the right intervals.

"Man, she is boring," Ward heard Skye hiss from his earpiece, and he struggled to thwart a smirk of secret agreement.

"I'm so sorry, I've just been talking at you. Tell me about you! I mean, if you want to."

Ward took a sip of coffee and then shrugged, "Not much to tell. I moved here about three months ago from Portland..."

"Is that where you're from?"

"No, my wife..." Ward deliberately stumbled, pressing his fingertips to his head and looking suddenly apologetic, "_ex-wife_, was from there. After the divorce I figured I'd move back home, be closer to my folks. My Mom hasn't been so well lately, so..."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jennifer's brows knit into a sympathetic frown and she placed her hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's fine, really," Ward dismissed her concerns and busied himself with taking another sip of coffee.

"Wow. Seriously? An ex-wife _and_ a sick mom?" he could hear the disbelief in Skye's tone as she commented on his progress, "you are one _smooth_ operator, Ward. But, I have to say that as a woman, I'm kind of appalled that she's falling for this crap."

Ward sucked down another mouthful of coffee, resisting the urge to massage his brow as Skye's voice continued to echo in his ear, unheard by his companion.

"I bet she'd give you her credit card details at this point," Skye continued, adding almost thoughtfully, "I could use a new Kindle."

"So what do you do, James?" Jennifer pressed, leaning forwards to allow Ward a clear view of her cleavage, a grin weaving its way across her lips.

"I'm actually still looking for work," Ward admitted, doing his best to seem embarrassed by the answer, "I have an interview over at the Medcore building in around an hour. I'm in Corporate Law. Harvard graduate, for my sins."

Ignoring the loud snort Skye released, Ward watched as Jennifer's eyes lit up and her expression become one of evident approval.

"That's quite impressive," she replied, running the tip of her index finger around the rim of her mug as she added, "I work at Medcore myself, nothing quite as grand as a lawyer - just a lowly pharmaceutical rep., I'm afraid. It's a pretty great company, though. Solid dental plan, good HR department, and the schnitzel in the cafeteria is amazing."

"I'll remember that," Ward replied, adding an appropriate laugh. Glancing at his watch and tapping the dial lightly with the tip of his finger, he said, "I have to go, but... maybe we could continue this over dinner?"

Jennifer's mouth opened and closed as she floundered for a response before finally settling on, "Uh... yeah. Dinner sounds good."

As an afterthought, she held up her coffee mug and gestured to the beverage, "And thank you for the coffee."

"My pleasure." Ward met her gaze and smiled, pleased to note that the woman was practically squirming in her seat.

"Oh, hey, maybe you can help me out," Grant added as an apparent afterthought, routing through his own briefcase in search of the false interview letter Skye had painstakingly created for the rouse.

"I am just horrible with directions. It says here that I need to go to the tenth floor, to the..." he paused as if reading along the print, "Deyton conference room? You know where that is?"

Jennifer raised both eyebrows as she hurriedly swallowed down a sip of coffee, "Oh, sure. I'm free for the next half hour or so, I could... I could give you the grand tour of the place? If you'd like?"

Ward appeared to mull over her offer, wincing as he replied, "You sure security would be okay with that? Looks like there's a pretty tight set-up going on."

"Oh," Jennifer batted her hand at him and shrugged, "you're there on official business, right? We'll just sign you in at the reception and I can show you where you need to be at. And... they'd be crazy not to hire you."

"Gosh, I hope the interview panel are as complimentary as you," Ward said, managing a grin that was both dazzling and abashed. The rosy glow of Jennifer's cheeks seemed to brighten even more and, for just a moment, Ward felt a stab of guilt at leading the woman on. That was, until Skye let out a shrill peal of laughter in his ear.

"Well gosh-gee-whizz, ma'am," she drawled, deepening her voice and employing what sounded like her best '_Deputy Dog'_ impression. Somehow managing to thwart the urge to turn off the communicator in his ear in a bid to silence his girlfriend, Ward rose from the table and offered Jennifer his arm. She grabbed onto it, falling into step beside him and immediately beginning another round of nervous babble as they approached the Medcore building.

Within ten minutes, Ward was inside the lobby, signed in at the visitor's desk, and issued with a temporary pass. He was almost stunned by how easy the entire process had been, and was half expecting something to go horribly wrong as he passed by the security desk and beneath the metal detector. Grant was impressed when the compact camera pen fitted into his breast pocket did not set the alarms blaring, but he knew that particular success was down to Fitz, who was always researching and toying with a variety of new metal compounds in a bid to fool even the most top notch security systems.

"For a newbie you seem to have this place all figured out," Ward stated, genuinely impressed by the manner in which the new Medcore recruit was directing him down a plethora of alarmingly similar corridors with surprising ease.

"Oh, you should have seen me my first week. I tried to find the ladies' room and walked into one of the restricted lab areas by mistake. Security were pretty pissed at me, I can tell you."

"I can imagine," Ward allowed, his curiosity piqued by her almost serendipitous offering of information, "seems like it'd be easy to get lost around here though. I hope they have security on every floor. If I get lost at least I know there's someone to ask for directions, right?"

"No, just in the restricted areas, so, like... the lobby, the basement, and the eighth floor where the labs are," she slapped her hand over her mouth and paused, "guess I shouldn't have told you that. I'd make, like, _the _worst spy in the world."

"Well, I think we're friends now, so..." Ward arched a dark eyebrow and she planted her hand on his chest and nodded in ready agreement.

"I think so too."

"_No_, maybe the _trampiest_ spy in the world, but not the worst," Skye guffawed with obvious disdain.

"All that background noise, it never lets up, huh?" Ward said pointedly, gesturing to the ceiling of the elevator they were now standing in, although his words were meant entirely for his errant girlfriend and not the irritating drone of the elevator music.

"I _know_ that that wasn't directed at me," Skye countered indignantly.

Managing to hold back a weary sigh, Ward affixed his attentions raptly upon Jennifer once more.

"Say, speaking of the restrooms, could we maybe...?" Ward inquired pointedly, feigning relief when Jennifer appeared to catch on quickly and gave a vigorous nod.

"Sure, of course," she replied, lowering her voice to a murmur as she added, "coffee goes right through me too. Guess it's one of the less pleasant side effects of getting older, huh?"

"Ew," Skye muttered in Ward's ear, her tone rife with disgust at the information over share.

The couple stepped out of the elevator on the tenth floor and Jennifer wordlessly began to steer Grant down another, somewhat wider corridor. The overheard signs indicated that they were indeed making a pit-stop at the restrooms, and Ward was pleased when he saw Jennifer ducking towards the door marked as the ladies' bathroom. She paused only momentarily with her hand on the handle to flash a grin at Ward.

"Just wait for me right here once you're done and then I can take you to the Deyton room," she called out, disappearing without waiting for Ward to respond.

With a surreptitious glance around to ensure that there were no cameras or more human prying eyes privy to his movements, Ward smoothed down his tie and then jogged back towards the elevators. Having registered the presence of the security feeds inside on the way up, he moved past the silver double doors and continued slightly down the hallway until he came to a halt in front of the stairwell.

The door was locked and required a key card to open. However, Grant removed another of FitzSimmons' specially designed toys from his pocket, and just one swipe of the counterfeit card prompted a satisfying click; the door opened without issue.

Glancing around, Ward hurried down the stairs, pausing as he came to a door leading to the next floor, which was luckily already unlocked. He walked out into the plush carpeted hall and noted with sudden surprise how the environment had changed significantly from the sterile, clinical decor that otherwise dominated the rest of the building. There was a notably more personal and luxurious air, and Ward surmised he had ventured onto the floor of the CEO's private offices. Leather couches lined the hallway and the deep red paint on the walls, and potted plants that appeared at random intervals, gave the whole area an old-school atmosphere that instantly made him uncomfortable. Memories of his childhood home and, in particular, his father's study came to mind. As Grant removed a control panel from the wall outside one of the rooms, he found his movements were hurried as he attempted to insert the small USB stick into the port before returning the panel to its place.

"I'm in," he said gruffly, awaiting a reply from the team, before he began attempting to extract himself from the building. Hopefully, access to Medcore's mainframe was now being facilitated.

"Yes!" Skye hissed approvingly, and he smiled as he heard her fingers tapping furiously against a keyboard, "nice job, Agent Ward. And _helloooo_, Medcore!"

Grant cast a furtive glance down the hallway before deciding the best route of escape would be to backtrack down the stairs to the lobby. But, as he turned his head to open the stairwell door, a wall of photographs grabbed his attention.

Removing the camera pen from his jacket pocket, Ward directed the instrument curiously at the images. The gilt framed photographs took pride of place on the wall, which was otherwise devoid of decoration. Ward scanned them each disinterestedly, tapping the top of the pen to snap photographs of the Medcore personnel pictured.

However, as Ward neared the end of the row of faces, the features of one smiling woman suddenly stopped him in his tracks. Ward's eyes swept over the image of the brunette, and he felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. Recollection, panic and confusion settled over him, and he felt the pulse in his neck begin to hammer out an unsteady rhythm that he was unaccustomed to.

"I'm returning to base," Ward barked, leaving no time for argument as he turned on his heel and began a rapid descent of the stairs. "Tell Coulson I need to speak to him. It can't wait."

"What? Ward? Are you okay?" Skye demanded, panic evident in her tone as she failed to receive a reply. "Grant?"

Skye frowned as she heard him release a sigh and her worry only intensified as she waited several long seconds for confirmation of his well-being.

Ward halted as he reached the lobby floor and placed his hand tentatively on the door handle. Bowing his head, he sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying desperately not to consider the implications of his accidental discovery.

"The new CEO of Medcore?" He swallowed hard, his voice almost cracking as he explained, "It's my sister."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six**_

When Ward returned to the Bus a short time later, he was met with a sea of sympathetic yet concerned faces. His admission had been heard through the comms. system not only by his girlfriend, but by a group of colleagues who were only just beginning to trust him again. With the news that their latest potential villain was his very own sister, Ward knew that their minds would now be focused on his own apparent betrayal a year before.

Walking through the plane's cargo hold toward the lab, he met the eyes of each SHIELD agent with a steely gaze, and it was only when he finally caught sight of Skye that he felt a brief sense of calm wash over him.

Fitz and Simmons stood side by side, leaning against the lab doors as they eyed him with a level of suspicion that was ill-concealed by the reassuring smiles they hid behind.

"This is why I'm glad I'm an only child," Hunter declared, wincing as he received a swift elbow to the ribs from Bobbi. Both she and May managed to uphold spectacularly neutral expressions that left their true feelings on the subject hidden.

"Tough break, dude," Tripp stated, shaking his head as he pondered his friend's predicament and clapped Ward on the back as he passed.

Skye beckoned Grant toward her and held out her hand, sliding her palm into his as she peered up at him. She smiled briefly as she squeezed his hand, and began to lead him upstairs, where Coulson was awaiting a debrief in his office.

"Coulson asked me to bring you up," Skye informed him, appearing to trip over her words as she added, "if... if you want, I can stay? I mean, I don't have to, and it's totally okay if you don't want me there but... if you want me to stay, I will. "

Ward managed a small smile of acknowledgement and he clutched her hand a little tighter, his expression darkening as he thought over the fresh details of his childhood that Skye would be privy to.

He paused, sighing resolutely before he replied, "I don't want there to be any more secrets between us."

Skye returned Ward's smile gently, her voice reassuring as she added, "I was kind of hoping you'd say that."

Ward raised a brow in surprise; having known that there was more than enough darkness and pain in Skye's own childhood, he had genuinely believed that she would be less than keen to learn the truth about his. The memories were such that even Grant himself shied away from reliving them, preferring to repress what he could and to compartmentalise what he couldn't.

Skye raised her knuckles and rapped lightly on the door of Coulson's office, not bothering to await an invitation before she entered with Ward trailing in her wake. Her hand fit snugly inside his, providing the comfort he so desperately needed as he entered the room and felt Coulson's probing gaze upon him. He almost staggered under the weight of it, but reminded himself that the judgement and suspicion he saw rooted in his boss' eyes was of his own imagination.

"I'm staying," Skye said firmly, punctuating her statement with a rebellious toss of her head and a pointed look. Coulson nodded in response before gesturing to the two chairs set out in front of his desk. Clearly he had anticipated as much.

"Sir, I..." Ward began, his tone betraying his despair and desperation in equal measures, "if I had known, I swear I would have said something before. You have to believe me, I..."

"Calm down, Ward," Coulson murmured, perching on the edge of his desk instead of seating himself behind it as Ward had expected. He peered down at the younger agent, folding his hands in his lap and affixing Grant with a patient smile.

"Take a deep breath," Coulson coaxed, "and when you're ready to talk, I'm listening."

Ward did as he was told and sucked in a steadying breath. A thousand long-repressed memories flooded his mind, and he felt an unfamiliar sting at the back of his throat as he struggled to make sense of where he should begin.

"Jacqueline is my older sister," he began, his gaze settled on a random spot on Coulson's desk, "I haven't seen her in sixteen years..."

Coulson nodded, shrugging slightly as he queried, "Are you sure it's her?"

"Yes sir, it's her," Ward replied darkly, his eyes so haunted that Coulson felt a rush of sympathy. He recalled all too well the content of Ward's personnel file, and the details of the young agent's childhood that had been both tragic and disturbing.

"Okay," Coulson murmured, turning to pick up a bottle of water from his desk before offering it to Ward with a smile of reassurance.

Ward shook his head and closed his eyes momentarily, preparing himself to continue, as he felt Skye's thumb brush soothing circles across the back of his hand.

"Last time I saw her, I was sixteen, right before... before Garret showed up," he explained, avoiding Coulson's gaze to the best of his ability. However, when he glanced up he found nothing but concern etched on his boss' features.

"Go on," Coulson encouraged, leaning back against his desk and doing his best to maintain a calming air.

"Jacqueline and Christian are... were... twins," Grant murmured, seeming almost lost in his own thoughts as he fixated on a spot on the carpet just beyond the leg of Coulson's desk. "She was never violent, like Christian or our mother. She was... the only person she ever respected was our father; I guess because they were so alike. Jacqueline could always manipulate people into doing whatever she wanted... I was no exception."

Coulson waited, maintaining perfect silence as Grant collected himself and Skye casually squeezed his hand a little tighter. He could see the effort required for Ward to simply speak the words as he watched the warring emotions flicker across Ward's features.

"When I was a kid, it was just little things... stupid, really..." Ward continued, his voice adopting a faraway tone, "she'd get me to steal money from Mom's purse for her and then she'd set it up so I was caught in the act. She let down the tyres of Christian's brand new car and somehow the knife found its way into my sock drawer when the maid was putting away the laundry. She... liked to make people suffer. Took real joy in it, I guess."

"She sounds like a bitch and a half," Skye grumbled, absently chewing on the fingernails of her free hand as she listened to Ward speak.

"The older we got, the more dangerous she became," Ward all but whispered, his leg beginning to bounce up and down without him even seeming to notice. "The night I went to juvie... the night of the fire... she... she was the one who called me. She told me that Christian had pushed Thomas... he'd fallen down some stairs and that... that they weren't sure if the damage would be permanent. She told me Christian was home, alone, and our parents were at the hospital. She told me I had to end it, that I knew what to do, that the gas can would be waiting in the garage behind Christian's bike... She sounded so sincere."

"Grant..." Skye whispered, feeling a chill creep up her spine as he continued, his tone almost robotic as he recounted the details of a past he had long ago tried to disassociate himself from.

"I hot wired a car, drove home, and... she was right. The gas can was exactly where she said it would be... Along with a lighter," he stated, his grip on Skye's hand tightening until it became almost unbearable. "I thought... I thought he'd killed my brother so I... Thing was, it was all a lie. Thomas was fine... Out to dinner with Mom and Dad as a reward for making the honour roll. I only found that out as I was being hauled away in a cop car."

Ward cast a tentative glance at Skye, desperately afraid that she would turn away from him , repulsed by the intimate details of his life that he had carefully catalogued away.

Skye caught the fearful expression on his face and her heart ached. Needing to allay his concerns, she inclined her body toward his and gathered their joined hands onto her lap.

"Any idea how she wound up at Medcore?" Coulson asked, diplomatically averting his gaze as Skye reached up and pressed her free hand to his jaw. He leaned in to her touch and Coulson noted the heavy breath he released, and the relief that quickly clouded his eyes.

"No," Ward responded, shaking his head, "she was pre-Med at Stamford, but after Garret and SHIELD, I lost track of my family. Christian was easier to follow because he was in the public eye, but Jack? She wasn't looking for me and I sure as hell wasn't gonna go looking for her."

"Understandable," Coulson nodded, "you weren't exactly living up on Walton's Mountain."

Ward's expression remained impassive, and Coulson cleared his throat at his own poorly timed joke. He flashed a reassuring if not slightly guilty smile at Skye, who was wearing a patented 'what the hell' expression that he had come to know well in the last few years.

"So, moving forward..." Coulson began, finding himself silenced by Ward as the younger agent raised his head.

"Sir, I respectfully request to be removed from the mission. I don't want to put you or the rest of the team in danger, and I think it would be better if I stayed out of the field on this one."

Coulson appeared to mull the request over, and his eyes ticked between the two junior agents before he pulled his lips into a frown and folded his arms across his chest.

"Request denied," he replied in an even tone, not so much as flinching as both Ward and Skye glared at him. "You have intimate knowledge of the key player, you made a new friend today who we can certainly tap for information, and your particular skill set as a Specialist makes you invaluable to this op. We need you on the team, Agent Ward."

"But, sir..." Ward spluttered, leaning forwards in his seat, clearly agitated as he stared at Coulson.

"My mind is made up, Ward," Coulson stated, cutting off the protest. A small smile blossomed on his lips as he added, "Help us out, Grant, and let us help you."

Ward fell silent, contemplating the order and obviously wondering if it was worth attempting to resist further. However, before he could formulate a valid argument, Skye had tugged him to his feet and was leading him toward the office door.

"Skye," Coulson called out, settling himself behind his desk and leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped across his stomach, "I want you to find out what Miss. Ward has been up to for the last fifteen years. If she has secrets, I want to know them; I'd like every last detail of her life on my desk by tomorrow morning- extended family, friends, properties... I want to know where she gets her nails done. And if her manicurist has secrets, I want to know those too."

"Consider it done," Skye answered, a defiant glint in her eye as she considered the task she was about to undertake, and how much she would relish helping to bring down the woman who had been a key player in destroying Grant's life, before it had even truly begun.

**x-x-x**

Hours later, Skye sat hunched over her laptop, the tip of her tongue poking out from between her lips as she focused her attention on the computer screen.

Her fingers moved rapidly over the keys as she searched Jacqueline Ward's bank records, DMV file, and medical records; none of which had so far provided anything of interest. Her driving record was clear, there was nothing notable in her medical file, and the bank account Skye had unearthed had not see any activity for the last five years.

Releasing a weary sigh, Skye stretched her arms above her head and yawned, before suddenly glancing toward the doorway as two soft knocks caught her attention.

Hopping down from the bed, Skye padded over to the door and slid it open, her smile instantaneous as she found Ward standing before her, complete with a plate of sandwiches in his hand.

"A handsome man bringing me food," Skye purred with a nod of approval, ushering him inside and closing the door behind him.

Ward smiled as he reached into his pocket with his free hand and retrieved a large chocolate bar, which he held up toward her, "Think of it as an apology for the pizza."

"You brought me chocolate? Agent Ward, are you trying to seduce me?" she teased, sitting back on the bed and patting the mattress beside her in eager anticipation of food.

"Any other time, sure. Tonight? Not so much," Ward replied, shooting Skye a wry smile as he handed her the plate. She settled back onto the bed and crossed her legs, setting the sandwiches down between her legs and raising one to her mouth.

"You've been holed up in here for hours. You missed dinner... Simmons made tacos. I figured you were working so hard you'd forget that you needed to do all those pesky human things, like eat and drink," Grant teased, although he was unable to hide his unease behind his forced composure.

Skye chewed silently and thoughtfully on a mouthful of cheese sandwich for several seconds, her eyes focused upon Grant, who perched on the edge of the bed they shared most nights, whenever missions did not dictate otherwise.

"How are you holding up?" she inquired in a low tone, after swallowing and licking a smear of mayonnaise from the corner of her lip. Ward seemed momentarily taken aback by the question, but he recovered admirably and shrugged.

"I'm fine," he answered, resisting the sudden urge to rake his hand through his hair, which would be a definite tell that he was being anything but truthful.

"Uh-huh," Skye said dubiously, shooting him a thoroughly unconvinced expression before she picked up the plate of sandwiches and placed it on the window ledge beside her bed. She drew up her legs and patted the space between them on the mattress, opening out her arms for Ward, who hesitated for only a moment before moving to lay back against her.

"Skye, I'm fine... really," he insisted, although when her fingers began to comb through his hair, the deep sigh he released told her otherwise.

"If this is gonna work out, Grant, you have to trust me," she said quietly, watching as he seized her free hand in his and drew her arm across his chest.

Though there was probably nobody who needed protecting less than Grant Ward - SHIELD Specialists were not, after all, known for their vulnerability - Skye wanted him to know that he was finally safe; despite her words to him all those months ago, somebody _did_ love him.

In the throes of despair, when thinking he had been abandoned by the team who believed he was a traitor, with no sign of Fury to corroborate his actions, Ward had been driven to desperate measures. The pain he had caused those he cared for had been too much, and the thought of always being considered a monster without the chance for redemption had been too great a burden for him to live with. The scar on his arm remained as a terrifying tribute to his own desperation and remorse. Skye shuddered as she considered Ward's actions, and her heart ached with regret when she recalled her words, which had doubtlessly contributed to his fragile mental state.

Her arms fastened tighter around Grant, and it was a curious change in dynamic that seemed to provide each of them with the comfort they needed.

"I would never hurt you," Skye promised, pausing awkwardly as she felt a rumble of laughter against her chest, "ok, so yes, technically I shot you. But in my defense, I didn't know you weren't a treacherous sociopath."

"You know, if this SHIELD thing doesn't work out, you should work for Hallmark," he quipped, glancing back up at her and laughing as she swatted at his shoulder.

"Am I ever going to be done apologising for shooting you?" Skye demanded, although she wore a smirk that rather conveyed that she was largely over the majority of her guilt on the matter; it was her words that still haunted her.

"Not this side of ten years," Ward replied with a shake of his head. The couple fell into a comfortable silence, Grant leaning his head back against Skye's stomach and she brushing her fingertips across the curve of his cheekbone. However, when Skye heaved a sigh of her own, it was Ward's turn to cast a querying glance at her.

"I just..." Skye paused, her lips twitching into a frown as she continued, "I thought... I mean... What if your sister is deliberately trying to get at you because of your parents? I'm guessing all her info will have come from the news coverage. She doesn't know the truth about what really happened; it would be kind of a given that she'd assume you... Well... You know what I mean."

"That I killed them and set light to the family home?" Grant checked, his voice and expression both impressively neutral. Skye's cheeks flushed and she avoided his gaze, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Yeah," she replied somewhat awkwardly, finding herself suddenly unable to meet his gaze.

"Is that what you think happened?" he asked, leaning back to look up at her as she pointedly rolled her eyes and slid her hands down his chest so her lips could ghost the shell of his ear.

"Grant, before you ask me if I think you're a cold-blooded murderer, whose bed have you been sleeping in for the last three months? I know I have an admittedly sketchy moral code, but pillow talk with serial killers is kind of a 'no-no' for me."

She pressed a kiss to his forehead and smiled against his skin as he slid his fingers through hers, grasping both of her hands. "You told me what happened, and I believe you. But that doesn't mean she does. What if she's baiting SHIELD to get to you?"

Ward was silent for a few moments, thinking back over his sister's previous and undoubtedly mentally disturbed behaviour. Skye and Coulson were the only people who knew what had really transpired that night at the Ward home, having listened to not only Christian's tape recorded confession but also to Grant's version of events. It was true that he had snapped, that his treatment of Christian had been less than exemplary, but he had not killed his family; there was enough red in his ledger for one lifetime without adding his own parents and brother to the body count. After delivering Christian to their parents, and playing the recording for them in the drawing room whilst sipping a glass of his father's whiskey for Dutch courage, Grant had turned on his heel and simply walked out of the house; he had left with a slight spring to his step, never thinking for a second that leaving them to deal with the aftermath of perfect Christian's revelation would end in his brother turning a gun on their parents and then himself. Evidently Christian had set the fire minutes before he had shot himself, but given Grant's apparent affiliations with Hydra, he could understand why people had been quick to jump to the assumption that he had murdered his family. Indirectly, he supposed that he probably was responsible for their deaths; however, it was a fact that he could not fully bring himself to feel sorry about. Despite this, he highly doubted that his sister would hatch such an elaborate plan to avenge a family she had always appeared to loathe.

"Honestly? Long as she got her inheritance, I doubt she's too cut up about our parents. It's not how she works. Emotions are not really Jacqueline's thing."

"That a Ward family trait?" Skye quipped, arching a dark eyebrow. When she had first joined SHIELD, her SO had possessed an almost robotic manner, and she recalled how desperately he had tried to fight any form of attachment or emotion. It was hardly surprising, she now realised. Growing up without ever having felt loved or protected was something Skye understood all too well.

"It was," he allowed, turning his head and reaching up to slide his hand around the back of her neck to gently pull her down to him so his lips could find hers.

Skye leaned down over him, rewarding her boyfriend with an impressive up close and personal view of her cleavage that held him momentarily transfixed.

"Well, I think I'm a little closer to forgiving you for shooting me," he joked, running his fingertips affectionately up and down her arm as she giggled and then repeated the gesture - earning a second, somewhat muffled groan of approval from Ward.

Leaning down, Skye pressed her lips against Grant's, exploring his mouth with the tip of her tongue. He let out a low moan beneath her, but Skye drew away after only a few seconds.

"As much as I'd like to continue this, I have to..." Skye gestured to her computer, a frown already twisting her lips downwards. Ward nodded, willing his accelerated heartbeat to slow as he pushed himself up on his elbows.

"Do you need any help?" he inquired, shooting a glance at the computer screen, where Skye had several alternate pages pulled up. Not one of them had led to any ground breaking discoveries about Jacqueline Ward, leaving Skye to deduce that either the woman had gone entirely clean since breaking away from her family, or she was just excellent at covering her own tracks; Skye largely concluded it to be the latter, however, she had very few of her usual tricks left to pull out of the box and absolutely nothing to show for almost a whole day of work.

Almost reluctantly, Skye bobbed her head, torn between needing to accept actual assistance and worrying that the task would dredge up far too many painful memories for Grant.

"I'm fine, really. I need to do this, Skye," Ward reiterated, reaching out to cup her cheek. His thumb brushed against her skin, and Skye couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her lips as Grant stared at her so intently that she felt her stomach dip.

"Okay," she agreed, leaning into his touch. She inclined her head to press her lips against his, but as her hand slid around the back of his neck her stomach released a loud grumble of protest.

Ward laughed and drew away, indicating the plate of sandwiches that had been abandoned on the window ledge.

"You should eat something," he directed, edging to the side of the bed before swinging his legs over the side and standing up.

"I'll go and grab us a couple of sodas," Ward stated, watching approvingly as Skye snatched up a sandwich and then grabbed her laptop, dragging it across the mattress and onto her knees. She took a decisive bite of her dinner before replacing it onto the plate, then her fingertips began to dance across the keys again, her brow furrowing in concentration.

Ward lingered in the doorway for a moment, pausing to watch Skye at work, as he had done so many times before. After a few seconds had passed, Grant smiled to himself, and a strange and wholly unfamiliar feeling overcame him. Ward was no expert in the matter, but he thought that perhaps it felt a lot like hope.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven**_

Filing into the briefing room with one arm slipped through Ward's and her tablet in her free hand, the first thing that Skye noticed was FitzSimmons. The science duo were chattering animatedly, a thick stacks of papers resting on each of their laps, and their heads bent so close together that their foreheads were almost touching. Although Skye was too far away to overhear their conversation, the expressions on their faces were enough to alert her to the fact that they had made some sort of breakthrough whilst trawling through the files downloaded from Medcore's internal database. Despite Ward's hasty exit from the building, he had managed to carry out his orders beforehand, and it appeared to Skye that his dedication to the mission had paid off.

Settling herself in the last remaining chair as Grant stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders, Skye watched Coulson stride into the room, flanked by both May and Hunter. Whilst Melinda joined Coulson around the console at the front of the room, Hunter sought out Bobbi and quickly moved to stand by her side, leaning close enough so that their shoulders touched. Whilst the blonde shot her ex husband an almost scathing look, she did not move away, and he flashed her a grin that she only rolled her eyes in response at.

"We're not going to beat around the bush here," Coulson began, appearing to forgo any attempts at formality or calling the meeting to order. The room had already fallen silent, however, even FitzSimmons sitting back in their seats to focus on the Director.

"Fitz and Simmons have made excellent progress with the files obtained from Medcore's database," stated Coulson, shooting a glance at the scientists, who seemed to squirm under the sudden attention from their fellow agents.

"Oh. Right. Yes," Simmons began, clearing her throat as she lifted up her i-pad and began to type furiously on the screen. Almost immediately a holographic image rose up on command from the centre of the table, and the team sat back as they tried to decipher exactly what it was they were looking at.

"The files Skye was able to download from Medcore's research division tell us that Medcore and Hydra are for all intents and purposes, one in the same. For those of you who remember, last year when I was undercover in the Hydra science division, we... t_hey_... were working on trying to harness the power of the diviner to produce a weapon of mass destruction."

Fitz nodded in agreement, swiping his finger across the hologram and enlarging a crime scene photograph from the attack on the UN representatives some months before.

"If you look at the casualties," Simmons stated, averting her gaze from the gory images, "there are marked similarities to the Teocelo victims."

"Except in this case there are no outward signs of infection, and the biological changes occur within the organism... uhm... _person_... calcifying the internal organs first and foremost," Fitz supplied, watching the faces of his colleagues as they all adopted similarly repulsed expressions.

"So basically, what you're saying is..." Tripp began, "some crazy dudes have found a way to turn people to stone... from the inside out."

"Essentially, yes," Simmons paused, her eyes focusing on Ward long enough to see his complexion pale as he obviously contemplated the source of this diabolical research project. Glancing back down at her notes, Jemma continued on.

"What we haven't quite managed to establish just yet, is how this pathogen is transmitted, or indeed how they've managed to produce a communicable virus from Hydra's original research."

"We need access to those labs," Coulson stated thoughtfully, sitting back in his chair and narrowing his eyes as he contemplated their next move.

"Skye, did you manage to turn up anything of interest on our company CEO?" May inquired, breaking her steady silence as she glanced at Skye, who straightened immediately in her seat.

"At first, not really," Skye said, tapping at the screen of her own i-pad in order to summon an image in the centre of the main screen. Behind her, she heard Grant swallow hard as the somewhat grainy colour picture of his sister appeared, her brown eyes seeming almost fixed upon him in a predatory manner. The resemblance between the Ward siblings was undeniable; the same strong, well defined cheekbones, shock of thick, dark hair, and square jaw, coupled with an air of quiet authority about their general persons.

"Then, I realised that Jacqueline Ward ditched the conspicuous family name about five years after graduation," Skye explained, shooting a glance over her shoulder at Grant, who nodded.

"She's been going under the alias Jacqueline Brooke," stated Grant, his gaze focusing on Coulson's face as he found himself unable to continue staring at the image of his sister. "Brooke is her middle name. It was our Great-Grandmother's maiden name."

Coulson nodded, flashing Ward a tight but reassuring smile before he returned his attention to Skye, who was busily tapping away at her i-pad as she summoned image after image onto the screen before them.

"She graduated Stanford in '99 with a PhD in Molecular Immunology, moved back to Massachusetts the same year but no apparent contact with the rest of the family," Skye recited through pursed lips and a tensed jaw, clearly already having made up her mind to despise the woman, "married and divorced in 2001- can't imagine why."

"Skye, stay on point," May chided, although her tone was uncharacteristically patient as she flashed the younger woman a warning glance.

"Sorry," Skye mumbled, shaking her head as she swept the pad of her index finger over the screen again, "she worked for a research institute for five years, won a couple small awards for papers on the development of a vaccine for HIV, then was head hunted to join the ranks of Medcore in 2008."

"2008?" Fitz repeated, disbelief colouring his tone as he added, "she became CEO of an entire company inside seven years? That doesn't seem very likely."

"Maybe she slept her way to the top," Bobbi chipped in, a sly smirk playing across her lips as Fitz shot her an uncomfortable glance, his cheeks burning red.

"Oh no, she's smart- _super_ smart, like..." Skye gestured to FitzSimmons, "your kind of crazy smart. There's literally hundreds of articles in international research journals that cite her work, and she's lectured at universities all over Europe."

Fitz and Simmons both wore suitably impressed expressions, and Simmons winced as she realised that a highly inappropriate degree of admiration was blossoming for their potential villain.

"Gosh, that's very impressive," she allowed, holding up her hand as Skye shot her an incredulous glare, "I know, I know, but I'm sorry Skye, she's clearly a highly intelligent woman who has climbed to the top of a very male dominated field and I feel that should be applauded. If it weren't for the fact she's potentially a mass murderer, I.." she paused, catching herself before she continued any further as Coulson shook his head in warning and she shrank back, i-pad clutched to her chest.

"Anyway..." Skye continued, "no criminal record, no priors, no social media accounts. How does anybody even live like that?" she demanded askance, "although I did hack her i-tunes, and I gotta say, anybody who owns Hansen's greatest hits and Mariah Carey's entire back catalogue is definitely not using the 'Force' for good."

"Yes, how on earth could anybody live without watching endless videos of other people's cats?!" Hunter teased.

Ignoring her colleague, Skye smiled briefly and crossed her legs as she reached the end of her summation.

"Oh, and she's a vegetarian."

"See?" Simmons' eyes widened with excitement and she clasped her hands together, "she's a vegetarian, she cares about adorable little animals. That means she can't be all bad, right?"

"Hitler was a vegetarian," Ward replied pointedly.

Simmons fell silent, contemplating Ward's admittedly valid point, although her inner genius still grappled somewhat with the idea of praising Jacqueline Ward's work.

"Perhaps she's turned over a new leaf?" Jemma attempted again, her tone just a touch hopeful. She peered over at Ward, who only glanced away, unable to meet her gaze. He looked very much like he was repressing the urge to shudder, and Simmons found the usually unshakeable Specialist's sudden, apparent fear difficult to understand. For Jemma, who had grown up as part of a loving, stable family in a comfortable home where she had been valued for her worth, it was hard to imagine what the pretty, demure looking woman on the screen before them could possibly have done to Grant to instil such doubt and suspicion in him.

"First thing's first, we need some samples of the actual virus from the lab," Fitz interjected, reading the tense atmosphere that had descended over the room and deciding to fracture it.

"Yes," Jemma agreed, brightening as she shot a thankful look at her partner, "once we have a vial of the virus itself, it should be easier to work out how to contain it as well as how it's spread."

"Could you come up with an antidote?" Coulson asked, glancing from Simmons to Fitz and back again as the two scientists seemed to falter over the question.

"It's impossible to say at this point, sir," answered Jemma finally, her expression rueful as her thoughts flashed back immediately to the devastated town they had walked through less than two days before. The deceased townspeople had haunted her dreams ever since, and Jemma was certain that they would continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

"But I bet Dr. Banner could, right?" Skye inquired, her eyes glowing excitedly at the prospect.

"It really is more his field of expertise than mine," Simmons admitted, seeming somewhat chagrined, "any news on how he's getting on with the samples he took from Teocelo?"

"Nothing yet," Ward shook his head, "but the guy likes to stay off the radar. If he comes up with anything, he'll let us know. Not like anyone's volunteering to stand over his shoulder."

"Understood," Simmons nodded in agreement, busying herself with scrolling through some of the lab tests they'd managed to run on the victims' tissue samples. She hated not being able to solve a problem, particularly when the answer quite clearly lay in her field of expertise. She briefly pondered whether Dr. Banner would be receptive to the idea of a Skype conference call, but she'd float that idea later on, when the faces around the table looked a little less stony.

Coulson folded his arms across his chest in a decisive gesture and, peering down the table toward his trusted second in command, he arched an eyebrow.

"We need to get into that lab. May, Bobbi; you're up."

"Yes, sir," May was immediately on her feet but she paused just as suddenly, casting a significant look at Coulson, "we're going to need a distraction".

"We could trip the fire alarms?" Bobbi suggested, realising a little too late that an idea was already forming in May's head.

"I had something else in mind," May replied and, for a split second, Bobbi was sure she saw the traces of a smirk pass across the woman's lips. It was unsettling to say the least.

May rested her gaze on Jemma and then Skye, the latter of whom crossed her legs and tried to escape her former SO's sudden attention by ducking lower in her seat, to no avail.

Coulson intercepted her gaze and it took only a moment for him to comprehend her as yet unvoiced plan. "You thinking Quebec?"

"Yep," May replied, tapping her foot as she appeared to be making a decision, although Jemma remained unaware that she was under considerable scrutiny from the Specialist.

"What? Why's she staring at me?" Skye whispered, trying not to move her lips too much as she hissed her desperate question to Ward, who shook his head as he too cast a wary eye over the infamous Cavalry.

When May grinned, Skye's heart rate accelerated and she released an audible gulp.

"Skye, Simmons, follow me," May declared, striding towards the door.

Simmons trailed obediently in the agent's wake but Skye lingered at Ward's side, casting a desperate and almost pleading glance at Coulson.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Skye demanded, her eyes wide as she glared at the Director, who did his best to hide his own slightly smug smirk behind the back of his hand.

"I'm sure I have no idea," Coulson replied, waving one hand dismissively at Skye to indicate that she should follow May, who was already half way down the corridor with Jemma. Narrowing her eyes at Coulson, Skye reluctantly trailed after the pair, her arms folded across her chest in a defensive pose.

"Oh, and Skye?" Coulson called out, beaming as the analyst turned to stare at him once again. "Congratulations!"

* * *

**Authors' Note - Chag Sameach from our family to yours or, alternatively, Happy Easter. If you celebrate neither then just have a great weekend. **


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight**_

Clasping her hands over her chest, Jemma Simmons was unable to thwart the smirk that blossomed on her lips. Not for the first time in the last ten minutes, she found herself thankful that it was not her in Skye's shoes; not least for the fact that it meant she was in the prime position to torment her friend throughout her ordeal.

"Well, don't you just look..." Simmons began, her smirk morphing into a grin. Skye gritted her teeth and shook her head, brown eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"Don't. You. Dare," she warned, punctuating each word with venom.

"Darling!" Jemma finished, ignoring the look of pure murderous intent contorting Skye's features.

"I'm going to make you all pay," Skye vowed bitterly, attempting to plant both hands on her hips in order to appear threatening, only to find the gesture near impossible suddenly. In frustration, she instead threw her hands up in the air, turning her back on Simmons and her insufferable giggling.

"Now, now, turn that frown upside down," Jemma coaxed, "it's not so bad. Think of it as... Practice."

"I swear to God, I will kick you in the face," Skye growled, spinning back around with an expression that betrayed no hint of jest.

"Touchy, touchy," Simmons replied, shaking her head. A snort of evident amusement suddenly escaped her as she added, "Hormones?"

Jemma hid behind a clipboard, laughing gleefully as she avoided the balled up shirt that the analyst hurled in her direction.

"I hate you all," Skye huffed, wincing with an almost pained look on her face as she stared down at the floral sun-dress she had been practically shoe horned into, which only added to her state of despair.

"Wait, wait, I'm not quite finished yet! You've not gotten the full experience," Jemma insisted, grabbing her friend's elbow gently and steering her back over towards the bed. She hid a chuckle as Skye struggled to hop up onto it, her annoyance clearly audible in her sighs and loud huffing.

"Let me help," Simmons soothed, assisting Skye in sitting on the edge of the sick-bay bed, "there, much better."

Picking up a small device similar to a car key fob in appearance, Jemma pressed her finger down on a button, and almost instantly Skye had leapt to her feet, her eyes wide in horror. Staring down at her rounded stomach, she poked the heavy, silicone padding suspiciously, as though waiting for it to react. A particular scene from Alien sprung to her mind and Skye repressed a shudder whilst making a mental note to start taking more control in the selections for movie night.

"What the hell was that?" she squealed, hands hovering either side of the prop.

"That was junior, saying hello to his mummy!" Jemma chuckled, her expression growing more serious as she explained, "see, people tend to get a little bit handsy with expectant mums, so just in case someone were to..."

She placed her hand on the fake pregnancy belly in demonstration before continuing, "Nobody would be in the slightest bit suspicious that it wasn't real. Isn't it ingenius?! Now, once we're in position in the foyer, I'll press this button here and hey presto, amniotic fluid all over their highly polished floor. Nothing makes a grown man run for the hills faster than an exploding amniotic sack. Well, a fake amniotic sack, obviously."

She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Don't worry, it's just saline with a hint of food colouring mixed in for authenticity."

Skye's face registered genuine horror, and she sidled over toward the door, groaning as she found her steps hampered by the weight of the padding.

"Oh, excellent pregnant woman walk! Well done!" Jemma enthused, beaming even wider as she watched Ward appear in the doorway. When he spied his girlfriend, the double take he did was almost as comical as the sight of Skye herself.

"Uh..." Ward faltered, halting in his tracks and glancing down at the ground as he tried but failed to conceal a smirk of amusement, "I thought we were being careful."

Skye rolled her eyes and shuffled past him; she envisioned the same sort of amused, gleeful response from the rest of her colleagues, and the idea was both exhausting and irritating.

"You know, Ward, I think I liked you better before you discovered your sense of humour," Skye snapped, suddenly noting that his gaze had drifted further south to the sizable bump she was sporting.

"Oh look, it's Daddy!" Simmons called out, barely able to speak through the wide grin on her face.

"You have to sleep sometime, Jemma!" Skye hissed, wheeling back around so fast that she almost toppled herself over, thanks to the fake pregnancy belly, which seemed to be doing nothing for her equilibrium. Ward caught her elbow in his grasp, steadying her carefully.

When Skye glared at him, her features a mask of fury, he quickly retracted his hand and then held it up in front of himself in a placating gesture.

"If it helps any, you don't look that huge," Ward attempted, his smile belaying that he was in fact actually attempting to cheer Skye up. She stared at him askance, her eyebrows shooting up in astonishment as she realised that to Agent Grant Ward, that was a perfectly acceptable compliment.

"No, that does not help," she bit back, shaking her head and attempting to stride down the corridor ahead of Ward. However, due to the immense weight she carried front and centre, she managed only more of a speedy waddle that sent Jemma into another fit of laughter.

"You know, you're going to be made if you carry on laughing like that," Grant chided, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent from chuckling himself as he glanced in Jemma's direction.

Jemma cleared her throat, lowering her gaze as a mask of penitence subdued her laughter. However, Ward failed to note the remote control in her hand, or the subtle pressure her thumb exerted on the button.

A sudden yelp came from the vicinity of the hall, causing Ward to arch a dark eyebrow in the scientist's direction. Once he spied the remote control, he stepped forward and opened up his hand expectantly, his gaze reproachful.

"Oh, alright," Jemma huffed, dropping the device into his palm with a petulant shrug.

Ward rolled his eyes, jamming the remote into his pocket as he strode out of the lab and off in search of his girlfriend, who hadn't managed to venture very far.

"Skye, wait up!" Ward called out, at least adopting the pretense of jogging to catch up with her.

"Did I do something to piss May off?" she demanded, spinning around in his direction, her hands planted on her hips successfully at last, "because I feel like I'm being punished here."

Ward smiled and placed both hands on her shoulders, squeezing them gently as he peered down at her.

"We both know Simmons is... u_npredictable_... in undercover situations. Role play isn't her thing, May probably just thought you'd be a better choice, that's all. It's just for a couple of hours."

Skye sighed resolutely, her pout remaining as she peered up at her boyfriend.

"If you say it'll all be worth it in the end, I'll shoot you again," she grumbled, allowing him to slide his arm around her waist as they began a more companionable stroll down the hall, "but since you did get me fake pregnant, you can get junior and I some ice-cream. I'm thinking I might go the method acting route."

Ward laughed, finding his eyes inexplicably drawn once again to the bump protruding from beneath her dress.

"I'm a stand-up guy; I don't run away from my responsibilities."

"Uh... Hail Hydra..." Skye mocked, deepening her voice by several octaves and gazing pointedly at Ward, who shook his head.

"That was black ops and you know it!" he defended, his tone and expression both faintly wounded. He added almost sullenly, "I was Fury's favourite, you know."

"Whatever. I want mint chocolate chip," Skye replied, rounding the corner into the lounge and waddling in anticipation over to the couch. "And some of that hot fudge sauce. With rainbow sprinkles."

Shaking his head in despair, Ward disappeared in the direction of the kitchen, wincing as Skye barked out yet more commands, sounding every inch the pissed off, overly hormonal, pregnant woman. One thing was for sure; her method acting was proving highly successful.

**x-x-x**

His movements were measured and gentle, and as Skye felt Ward's fingertips coast across her skin, she couldn't help but seek out his concerned gaze.

"Okay, so Hunter and I will be right here in the ambulance. If anything goes wrong, or something just doesn't feel right, say the word and we'll come get you."

"Right," Skye agreed, managing a brief smile as Ward checked her ear for any visible sign of the comms. device. He allowed his fingertips to tenderly brush her neck on their descent. He remained kneeling in front of Skye on the floor of the ambulance, although the interior gave away its role as a communications centre rather than a medical vehicle. In place of the usual black combat uniform that Specialists favoured, Grant instead sported a standard EMT uniform, complete with a stethoscope slung around his neck.

"Ward, I'll be fine," she assured him, reaching out and pressing her hand to his cheek, sweeping her thumb over the line of stubble across his jaw.

"I know," he replied, although his tight smile gave away his fears, and Skye knew that in his mind he was replaying another mission - when her blood had

stained the hands of her friends, and he had watched her fading away before him, surrounded by the ominous sounds of hospital machinery and discreet

whispers - consumed with rage and sorrow at what could have been.

"Grant," she began, casting a furtive glance toward the front of the van to see if Hunter was within earshot, "I'm sorry... for before... The whole Hydra/Fury thing, I..."

"It's okay," he shook his head and simply smiled up at her, placing his hand over hers and pressing a kiss to her palm, "we'll just chalk it up to hormones."

She rolled her eyes at his good-natured teasing, and the hand he suddenly splayed across her rounded stomach.

"I'm so glad this amuses you," she tried her best to sound annoyed, but her expression betrayed her, and she found herself consenting to laugh instead.

"You have to get your kicks where you can in this job," he replied, grin intensifying as Skye swatted at him. For just a moment, the couple beamed at each

other, enjoying the relative calm before the storm, so to speak. Ward leaned forwards and brushed a kiss against Skye's cheek, although he found himself

hampered by the fake distended belly strapped to her middle.

"I should really take a moment to Instagram this," taunted Ward, reaching for his cell phone from his pocket in a mock threatening gesture.

"That would be scary, if I didn't happen to know that you're terrified of social media," Skye retorted, pausing to straighten her outfit before she accepted the shopping bags that Grant held out to her.

"Simmons is already in place in the lobby, whenever you're ready, give her the signal and she'll trigger the... Uh... Yeah, well, you do remember the signal,

right?" Grant inquired, frowning as he surveyed Skye earnestly, who nodded.

"Affirmative, Agent Ward," she replied, already beginning to pull open the back doors of the van. She hopped out onto the street with relative ease, searching the alley with her gaze to check for witnesses before she leaned back inside to address Grant.

"Like I said, I'll be fine, as long as this damn belly doesn't throw my back out," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder before picking up her bags and

waddling to the end of the alleyway, where she would emerge out onto the street directly in front of the Medcore building.

Skye took a deep breath, trying to psych herself up for what she hoped would be the performance of a lifetime. Cradling one hand underneath the curve of

her bump, she flashed Ward a buoyant smile.

"Okay... Well, I'm gonna pick out some last minute things for the nursery, and I will see you later, sweetie," she stated, in her best Suzy home-maker voice.

"Alright, have fun, love!" Hunter shouted, sliding open the screen that separated the back of the ambulance from the front seats with uncanny timing. Ward

sighed and shot him a thoroughly unimpressed look, to which Lance responded, "she didn't tell you about our little tryst nine months back? Well, this is awkward."

Realising that Hunter's own brand of humour would not be squashed, Ward laughed and hopped up into the ambulance, closing the doors behind him with a resounding slam once he had watched Skye disappear from view.

"Let's just keep an eye on our girl, okay?" Ward insisted, trying to appeal to Hunter's professional sensibilities.

"Can't miss her, mate," Hunter chuckled merrily, obviously far too amused by the situation to let any opportunity for barbs and quips pass him by.

"You know she'll kill you if she hears you say that, right?" Ward checked, arching an eyebrow at Hunter, who shrugged.

"Gut me like a bloody fish, but I'm willing to risk it," he answered, nonchalantly turning back to the radio and beginning to twiddle the knobs until the hum of static filled the van.

"Alrighty then," Ward murmured, tapping the button on the comms. device in his ear in order to bring it online. Quietly he finished, "Let's get this show on the road."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine**_

The lobby of the Medcore building thrummed with life, as would be expected of any large office building at the end of lunch hour. Putting on her best game face, Skye wandered through the revolving doors and stepped into the lobby, hoisting her bags up to keep them from bumping against her calves as she walked, her legs slightly apart thanks to the added weight of her prop.

"C'mon, baby, let's go see Daddy," Skye trilled, pasting a wide grin on her face as she nodded at the businessmen and women who passed her, all seeming to shoot her the same inane, saccharine smile.

As if on cue, the phone in her purse began to ring, and Skye sidled over to the reception seating area and planted her shopping bags down onto the nearest chair as she searched out her phone.

Stabbing the connect button, she planted her hand in the small of her back and leant back as she spoke into the phone.

"Hey sweetie, I just got here, do you want me to come up or... Oh, oh you're stuck in traffic?" she eyed the people seated around her, as well as the rather surly looking female security guard who was watching her intently. "No problem, I'll just sit in the lobby and wait for you. I got the cutest things for the baby, I can't wait to show you! Okay, yep. Love you too!"

Moving the phone from her ear, she dropped it into her purse and cast a cautious glance around the sea of faces, most of whom were either ignoring her or smiling at the large prosthetic belly her hand rested on.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

Skye turned to find the guard eyeing her suspiciously and immediately flashed her a smile that was all teeth.

"Oh, no. I'm just waiting for my husband. He's taking me out to lunch. He's been out at a meeting and he's stuck in traffic, but he should be here in like fifteen minutes. I'm good to wait, right?"

The guard inhaled slowly, looking at Skye as if she were trying to recall if they'd ever met before, "And your husband is Mr...?"

Making sure to rest her left hand atop the fake baby bump, Skye smiled as she felt the woman's eye drawn to the gold band and diamond ring on her finger.

"James," she supplied helpfully, confident that when the guard checked the computer for Skye's fictional baby-daddy, one JT James would be listed as working in the Medcore accounts department.

"Sorry," Skye winced and cupped her stomach, "someone's getting restless today. Think we've got a little soccer player in here."

She laughed, suddenly seizing the woman's hand and pressing it against the silicone padding. Thankfully Jemma was paying close attention to Skye's purposefully overbearing interaction with the guard, and so as the woman's hand landed on the bump, a sharp kick struck her palm.

"See? What did I tell you, huh?" Skye beamed, biting back a triumphant smile as she noted the decidedly uncomfortable expression on the guard's face. Discomfort now far outweighed suspicion, and the woman smiled politely at Skye before beating a hasty retreat back to the security desk, where she doubtlessly would run a search for the hen-pecked Mr. James.

"You mind if I sit here?" Skye asked, rubbing her back and making a pantomime of wincing as she lowered herself into the nearby seat.

"Oh, not at all," Simmons replied, ensuring others were listening in before she began to make small talk with her new acquaintance.

'So far, so good,' Skye thought, glad Jemma had resisted the urge to go full-on Pacino for her stint as 'nosey stranger'.

"Not long now, eh?" Jemma chuckled, gesturing down to the fake belly with a suitably syrupy grin on her face, "you must be so excited. Is this your first? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

Skye shot her a look that indicated her inordinately loud questions needed to come at a slower rate, but she nodded her head and mirrored Jemma's smile as she crested her hands over her unborn prosthesis.

"Oh, it's fine... really. And yeah, it's our first and yes, we're pretty excited to meet the little munchkin."

Simmons bobbed her head, smiling politely at a woman seated opposite them who seemed to be listening in on their conversation. However, the scientist was almost affronted when the smartly dressed woman piped up, "Do you know what you're having?"

"It's a boy," Skye replied, catching the oddly doubtful look on Jemma's face and frowning.

"Really? Oh. You're carrying quite high, I'd have thought it was a girl," Jemma stated, her nose turned up as she inclined herself away from the woman who had interrupted their conversation.

Skye laughed, pulling her lips tight as she leant closer and said in a vaguely threatening hiss, "It's my damn fake baby, and I say it's a boy."

Simmons swallowed hard, tight smile fixed in place as she replied loudly, "Oh a little boy! How lovely!"

Nodding her head, Skye leaned back against the couch cushions, her gaze catching that of the woman opposite her, who flashed her a doe eyed smile.

"Thought of any names yet?" Jemma continued, placing a hand on Skye's arm as she added with a chuckle, "if you don't mind my asking."

"Oh no, not at all," Skye answered, suddenly becoming more animated as her eyes gleamed, "naturally we want something strong, masculine, with good associations, and something a little bit unique, you know? I mean, when the kid gets to school we don't want him to be like the fourth Matthew in his class, right?"

"Oh absolutely not," Jemma replied, as the women around them who were listening intently all nodded their heads and clucked in agreement.

"So we've decided on Thor," Skye deadpanned, eyes fixed unflinchingly on Simmons' face.

Skye started slightly as she heard Hunter's throaty chuckles in her ear, but she managed to maintain her smile long enough for Simmons to formulate a response.

"Oh. Well, that's... Original," she conceded, nodding her head and crossing her legs as she suddenly realised Skye was set on revenge for her earlier 'bad girl shenanigans'.

Skye nodded enthusiastically, her eyes alive with mirth and just a trace of mischief as she turned to regard her 'new' friend with a conspiratorial smirk.

"But, you know what the most surprising thing about this whole pregnancy has been?"

"Oh, I can't imagine," Jemma answered through bared teeth, inwardly cringing as she speculated that Skye's confession was leading somewhere that was bound to cause extreme embarrassment.

Leaning closer, Skye stage whispered her confession, "I am just so, so..."

"Hungry?" Simmons tried hopefully, gulping as Skye shook her head.

"_Horny_," the analyst exclaimed, nodding slowly as Jemma's cheeks began to colour and her smile became so tight that she looked physically pained.

"All the time..." Skye continued, "I just can't get enough. Must be hormones, right? Although, let me tell you; my husband? He's kind of a hottie."

"Oh. Good. Yes. _Great!_" Jemma replied, awkwardly giving the 'thumbs up' sign as all trace of linear thought left her brain.

"I mean, he does this thing with my toes..." Skye began, shuffling around in her seat in order to address Simmons better. The biochemist's complexion seemed to be moving rapidly through several shades of light pink straight to vivid crimson, but Skye was clearly not to be deterred, and so Jemma reached forwards and snatched up her friend's hand desperately.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright? Was that a pained moan? It was, wasn't it?" she babbled incoherently, her eyes narrowing with venom as she watched the smirk twitch at the corner's of Skye's lips.

"No, I feel fine..." she began, suddenly doubling over as Jemma squeezed her hand harder than truly necessary, embedding her nails into Skye's skin for good measure. "Ooooooowww!"

"See, I knew it!" Simmons stated triumphantly, leaning closer to Skye and stroking her forehead. "There, there, it'll all be fine."

"You're breaking my God damn hand, Simmons," Skye growled through clenched teeth, almost snarling at the scientist, who only beamed as she slipped her hand into her trouser pocket. Skye's eyes suddenly widened and she stared down at her sun dress in horror as it became slowly but surely saturated by an outpouring of liquid from the bottom of the prosthetic stomach. The evil glint in Jemma's eyes was unmistakable as Skye raised her head and found that the crowd assembled at the sofas had hastily stood up and retreated by several paces.

"Oh, smashing, your waters just broke," Jemma called out, her voice carrying across the lobby for all to hear, just as Skye heard Hunter chip in again from her comm. device.

Evidently addressing Grant, the Englishman whispered, "Do you really do something with her toes?"

"Can we stick to the matter at hand, please?" Ward answered tersely.

"I think I've figured out what you do with those, mate. Ow, ow! Alright, alright."

Realising that she had no choice but to follow through with the arguably mortifying skit, Skye stood up and hugged her arms around her fake bump as she saw the guards begin to approach from the corner of her eye.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" a male guard asked, his complexion paling noticeably as he spied the pool of fluid ebbing across the highly polished floor.

Skye gripped his hand and released an anguished cry, squeezing his finger so tightly that he too let out a yelp of pain.

"Ow! Ow!" Skye enthused, gritting her teeth as she felt Jemma's hand land on her elbow, propelling her back to her seat.

"It's quite alright, don't be alarmed, we've got a woman in labour here," Jemma announced, noting with a hint of amusement how their faces suddenly contorted in horror, "now let's nobody panic. As luck would have it... I'm a doctor. So, let's get her sitting down and comfortable, and whilst I call an ambulance maybe you lovely gentlemen could find us some clean towels and give her husband a quick call to let him know baby's on his way?! Yes?"

From the corner of her eye, Jemma spied May and Bobbi disappear unseen up the stairwell, and she lowered Skye into her seat with a pointed smile that the analyst instantly picked up on.

The two guards nodded aimlessly, and as one filed off in the direction of the back office in search of towels, the other hurried over to the reception console and tried to recall the name he had seen their female counterpart type in earlier.

"Incoming, lads," Jemma breathed quietly, alerting Hunter and Ward to the imminent call about to come through from the visibly terrified security operative.

"Now, it will all be okay..." Simmons soothed, a phony expression of sympathy plastered across her face as she grabbed Skye's ankles and slung them onto the couch. "Legs up, there's a good girl."

"Wouldn't that be what got her into that situation in the first place?" Hunter inquired from over the comms. He let out a strangled gasp and Skye could only assume that Ward had mildly incapacitated the agent somehow, just in time for the guard's call to connect to the van. As Grant played the part of a doting and panicked husband perfectly in response to the security guard, Jemma gestured to one of the women standing around watching the scene unfold.

"Could someone please get my mobile phone? It's in that bag there," Jemma instructed, apparently enjoying her role now as quite the crowd of late lunchtime revellers began to form around Skye and the sofas. They watched the woman in immense interest as she cradled her stomach and let out the odd cry for effect, their expressions ranging from morbid curiosity from the younger observers to almost nostalgia from those past their child bearing days.

"We've taken the cameras offline on the eighth floor," Ward declared, "keep the guards away from the desk for as long as possible. Eyes on you at all times."

"Not gonna be a problem," Skye grumbled as she played up to her growing audience.

As two burly security guards hurried over wearing expressions of utter horror, Jemma beamed up at them whilst she tucked her folded behind Skye's head to form a makeshift pillow.

"Now," she began, "I'm going to need some scissors and string to go with those towels. Off you pop!"

She flapped her hand toward the men and smiled encouragingly as they nodded then wandered off, too bemused and afraid to do much else other than comply.

"You just concentrate on taking nice, slow, deep breaths. Let's take a quick peak under the hood, shall we?" Jemma soothed, placing her hand over Skye's as she then attempted to lift the hem of her sun dress to peer underneath.

"Oh, hey there!" Skye protested, eyes widening and her knees slamming tightly together, "uh... how about you call that ambulance?"

"I'm a doctor, it's nothing I haven't seen before," Simmons reassured her, swallowing hard as Skye curled her fingers around her wrist and prised it away from her knees.

She shot Jemma a murderous glare and hissed under her breath, "Don't even think about it!"

"Oh, what's that?" Simmons inquired through her inane smile, "another contraction? Don't worry, breathe through it whilst I call 911."

Skye fumed, shooting her friend a Melinda May patented glare of death as she began to fake her way through another contraction.

Smiling gratefully as a woman swept forward with her phone clutched in her hand, Jemma seized the cell and tapped in the emergency service number. The phone had been rigged beforehand to connect straight to the communication system in the van that Ward and Hunter occupied, but nonetheless Jemma felt a surge of nervous anticipation course through her body as she raised the device to her ear and listened to the sound of ringing. When there was an audible click on the line, Simmons found herself almost holding her breath until Ward could be heard responding quietly but clearly.

"May, Morse; six minutes exactly."

"Ambulance please," Jemma chirruped brightly as she pressed the cell closer to her ear, flashing an excited smile at the women that had gathered around them. "It's a bit thrilling this, isn't it?"

"You know she's going to get you back, don't you?" Ward responded, evidently amused as he listened to Jemma and Skye continue with their performance.

"Yes," she replied, gaze and smile still trained on Skye as she continued into her cell loudly, "I have a very pregnant lady in labour. She appears to be in a great deal of pain and her waters have broken. All over the floor in fact. It's quite a mess."

"Keep digging. Rather you than me," Hunter contributed, his tone cheerful.

"Yes, okay... I understand," said Jemma, clucking sympathetically as she glanced down at Skye, "marvellous. Yes, do hurry. Toodle-oo!"

Ending the call, Jemma slid the phone into her pocket and focused her attention on Skye, who was huffing and puffing diligently through yet another fake pain.

A security guard suddenly appeared beside the pair, a bale of clean towels perched on one arm, and in the other hand a pair of scissors and string that instantly sent Skye's eyebrows shooting up in abject terror.

"We spoke to your husband, ma'am, he's going to meet you at the hospital," the guard relayed helpfully, handing over the items to Jemma who rewarded him with a courteous smile.

"Excellent, thank you kindly," Jemma nodded in approval, before snatching up his offerings and placing them carefully on the chair near Skye's feet, "now, let's give the mum-to-be some privacy, shall we?"

The guard glanced over the pair once again but, content with the pained grimace on the pregnant woman's face, he shuffled back over toward the reception desk where a group of staff had gathered to watch the spectacle.

"This better not end up on YouTube," Skye panted, intending to keep a close eye out for any phones that were pointed suspiciously in her direction.

"I must say you're very good at this, very convincing!" Jemma whispered, her smile encouraging as Skye clenched her teeth and moaned.

"Yeah? Well, I watched a lot of Dr. Quinn," she huffed out quietly, thankful beyond measure when she heard Hunter's voice in her ear, signalling that the hideous charade was about to come to an end.

"Three minutes, ladies..." he crooned, and although she could hear the teasing smirk on his face, she was too relieved to hold his amusement against him. For the time being, anyway.

"Alright, May and Bobbi are on their way back down the elevator shaft so make this one count, Agent Skye," he directed, "we need all eyes on you now!"

Sighing at the sheer ridiculousness of her situation - sprawled, legs akimbo in the foyer of a bustling office building - Skye closed her eyes and released a hearty scream that extracted a few grimaces of sympathy from nearby women.

"Now, I know you can do better than that. The walls in the Playground are thin, love."

"I hate him... If he ever comes near me again... I'll kill him..." Skye howled, only faintly amused when she heard Grant chuckle from her earpiece.

"You know she means you, right?" Ward checked, evidently addressing Hunter, who remained unnaturally silent.

"Let's get the stretcher and the bag," was his only, somewhat subdued reply.

"Now, now, you don't mean that," Jemma purred, smoothing her hand over Skye's brow and nodding encouragingly as she tensed her whole body and let rip with another, louder scream.

"Just think about your beautiful, precious little baby and it will all be..." Jemma began, fake smile plastered in place until Skye reached up and seized her collar, dragging the other woman down until they were nose to nose.

"Shut up!" Skye yelled, enjoying the spark of real fear she saw within Jemma's eyes. The scientist was momentarily distracted however as the double doors at the side of the lobby were flung open, and Ward and Hunter scurried inside, pushing a metal gurney between them.

"Oh thank goodness for that," Jemma breathed, her relief very real as she beckoned Ward and Hunter over to the sofas, through the throng of onlookers.

"Get this insane person the hell away from me and my baby!" Skye yelled, pointing at Jemma as Ward and Hunter stood over her.

"Well! Charming!" Jemma yelped, furrowing her brow indignantly then hoisting her bag up onto her shoulder as she snatched up her jacket. She bustled angrily through the crowds, which parted as she strode toward them.

"Don't worry, Ma'am, we'll have you at the hospital in no time," Hunter drawled in his best American accent, as Ward busied himself with helping Skye into a sitting position.

"Can you walk?" Ward asked, taking her hand in his as he helped her to stand, one arm under her shoulders. Pausing briefly, he cast a cautious eye over toward the elevators, only to see May and Bobbi strolling across the lobby, almost within reach of the exit.

Skye followed his gaze, noting with some alarm that the eyes of two guards were now trained on the pair, and so clenching her jaw, she let out an anguished cry then allowed her knees buckle underneath her. Ward took her weight, hoisting her back to a standing position, but she doubled over once again and prepared herself for an Oscar worthy performance.

"It's coming! The baby's coming!" she announced, wide-eyed, clutching the fake belly with what she hoped was a convincingly panicked expression.

"Let's get you onto the gurney," Ward directed, gently assisting her to sit up on the stretcher and hoist her legs up, "try not to push, okay?!"

Relishing his new role far too much to resist mischief, Hunter lifted the corner of the blanket Ward had draped over Skye and explained,"Just checking if I can see the head."

Skye narrowed her eyes, flailing her legs under the pretense of labour pains so that her foot connected with the side of Hunter's head.

Under her breath, she hissed only loud enough for Ward and Hunter to hear, "Do and die."

"Drugs!" she shouted, suddenly lunging forwards and grabbing the stethoscope around the mercenary's neck, "I want drugs! NOW!"

Hunter's eyes widened and he tried unsuccessfully to shake Skye off, as she continued to drag him down towards her at an almost painful angle.

"Bloody... Hell..." Hunter rasped, clawing at his throat as he began to turn rapidly purple from lack of air. "She's... Can't... Breathe..."

"Okay, Miss." Ward soothed, firmly extracting Skye's fingers from Hunter's stethoscope despite her huff of indignance, "let's get you into the ambulance where the Entonox lives."

"What the hell is that?" Skye whispered, not knowing whether she should appear relieved or aghast at the suggestion. Resisting the impulse to chuckle, Ward smoothed his amusement over into a patient and assuring smile.

"Gas and air, Ma'am," he replied, pausing to strap Skye into the gurney, although he struggled to elongate the straps to fit over the mound of her false stomach.

"Yes! Take me to the drugs!" she directed, clasping his hand and ensuring she emitted a series of pained squeals and groans as she was wheeled toward the door. Hunter remained at the foot of the gurney, where he could steer it from a safe distance away from her grabby hands. His neck had begun to ache and he wasn't prepared to risk further injury given his merciless teasing earlier.

"Good luck, ma'am!" one of the guards shouted after the trio, obviously taken in enough by their performance to believe that a new arrival was imminent.

"We'll take good care of her," Ward assured him, nodding politely as he returned to his apparent duties and pushed the gurney out of the automatic doors onto the street, where a smaller crowd had gathered.

Feeling the sunlight on her face, Skye released a relieved sigh as she was hauled into the back of the waiting ambulance. Hunter slipped behind the wheel and gunned the engine in almost the next instant, as Ward stepped up onto the floor of the vehicle and shut the doors with a resolute slam.

The ambulance sped away from the building, lights flashing and sirens blaring, and the crowd that had assembled in the reception began to disperse as the workers returned to their duties, forgetting the brief interlude of excitement.

However one figure remained, casting a watchful eye over the renewed bustle of bodies. Planting one hand on her hip, Jacqueline Ward drummed her finely manicured fingernails against the desk and cast a wholly unimpressed glare over her unassuming guards.

She watched a cleaning team begin to cordon off the area the young mother had disturbed, and slowly, a thoughtful smile tugged at her lips. She removed her cell phone from her pocket and scanned through her contacts list with renewed purpose, finally settling on a familiar name.

Arching a dark eyebrow as the call connected, she purred through a buoyant smile. "Dieter, darling! I've just had a rather interesting encounter. Some might call it... _serendipitous_."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Padding barefoot along the carpeted floor of the Bus, Skye rubbed the damps ends of her hair with a towel as she revelled in the absence of the loathed pregnancy padding, and enjoyed her new found freedom.

Feeling energised and somewhat less stressed than she had been during her highly mortifying brush with motherhood, Skye walked with a spring in her step and a smile on her face; a smile that only intensified as she approached the couches to find Hunter and Ward running through details of their earlier mission.

The mercenary swallowed uncomfortably as he spied Skye, and she narrowed her eyes as she sauntered towards them and tossed her towel onto the nearest chair.

"Where's young Thor?" Hunter quipped, determined to keep up his cheerful bravado, even if Skye's expression was making him more than a little nervous. He knew revenge would be imminent but the nature of her chosen vengeance was concerning him the most.

"He's back in the lab, in storage, under the watchful eye of Aunt Jemma," Skye retorted, taking a seat next to Ward and curling her legs up underneath her.

Suddenly struck by bravery - or perhaps stupidity - Hunter leaned back in his seat and regarded the couple with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"So this foot thing, eh? What is it? How do you do it? And _where_ can I learn it?"

"Oh you're not ready to know the answer to those questions, Lance," Skye bit back, flashing her colleague a smile that was particularly wolfish. Ward shook his head, hiding his amusement well as he maintained a neutral expression and tapped on the pile of documents before them, his inference obvious.

Skye straightened up immediately, her professionalism taking over as she lowered her legs to the floor again and leaned forwards to pour over the documents Ward held. She scooped up the ipad that had been left balanced on the edge of the coffee table and hastily opened the corresponding files before laying the tablet on her lap.

"What's the sitch?" Skye inquired, beginning to wind her still damp hair into a braid in order to keep it off her face. She watched Ward even as her fingers worked nimbly at their task, her eyes trained on his features.

"Coulson already ran a debrief whilst you were getting changed," Ward explained, holding his notes aloft and then passing them directly over to Skye. "The mission was a success and the priority is uploading all the information we now have direct to Banner's private labs."

"There's not much else us non-Sciencey types can do right now, except kick back and wait for instructions on what to punch next," Hunter added, positioning his arms behind his head and leaning back against the sofa, before resting both feet on the glass coffee table.

"May and Bobbi got the sample?" Skye queried, raising her eyes from the papers questioningly, the index finger of her free hand poised to swipe the screen on the tablet to the next page.

"Yeah, it's already on its way to Banner, courtesy of the Cavalry," Ward replied.

"Coulson and Simmons are meeting with a representative from the C.D.C. Looks like they've got the autopsy results back in from the Teocelo victims," he relayed, watching Skye's eyebrows quirk in abject amusement.

"Geez, I only took a shower," she grumbled, using the tablet to enlarge a photograph of a heavily protected vile that had the unremarkable branding of 'HG74' scrawled in cursive across the label.

"HG74? Catchy name," Skye remarked, scanning the notes on the i-pad and then glancing at the wad of handwritten notes Ward had also compiled. His disdain for all things technical was a constant source of amusement to the former hacker. Of course they would be destroyed imminently at the end of the mission since Ward's distrust of just about everything else outweighed his distrust of technology.

Ward leaned back in his seat and released a deep sigh before he explained, "HG... They're calling it the 'Hand of God'. Looks like that's the project code name, at least."

Skye wrinkled her nose, struck yet again by the sheer insanity and evil of those responsible for the massacre, and the sense of deluded importance it must have taken to come up with such a code name for a virus they had crafted purely to cause devastation.

"Nice," she replied, sliding the ipad back onto the table before them and moving to lean her head against Ward's shoulder. He pressed a kiss against her temple and she smiled in response, reaching out to gather his hand in hers and hold it in her lap. His thumb brushed repeatedly against her wrist and she sighed contentedly, blinking as his lips crested the curve of her cheekbone.

"Anyone hungry? I'm bloody starving!" Lance suddenly stated, standing up and rubbing his hands together as he contemplated the contents of the refrigerator with a rumbling stomach.

"I filled up on ice cream before the mission," Skye admitted, almost sheepishly, "I couldn't eat a thing."

"Your loss, sweetheart," Lance replied as he shrugged then hopped over the back of the couch, heading towards the kitchen area with renewed purpose in his step. His whistling could be heard echoing throughout the enclosed space loudly, soon accompanied by the distinct whirring of the microwave. Since Hunter was far from an expert chef, Skye suspected popcorn, or a TV dinner at best.

"How are you holding up?" Skye whispered, turning around in Ward's arms and peering at him analytically. Her brow furrowed as she watched him and he reached out on instinct to smooth away the lines that creased her brow. At his touch, Skye's smile blossomed, but she still arched a questioning eyebrow at him, demanding an answer.

"I'm fine," Ward replied, his tone and expression giving very little away. He remained perfectly still, his gaze fixed upon Skye's face as she stared up at him with an inquisitive expression. It was evident from the sudden set of her lips that she didn't believe him, but Ward flashed her a reassuring smile nonetheless, hoping to deter an inquisition.

He had expected her to accept his deflection and continue on in her characteristically light-hearted manner, but the frown on her face remained.

Inhaling slowly, she placed her fingertips against his cheek and turned his head to hold his gaze. Her eyes fixed upon his, and he was pained to find not just concern, but also pain in her expression.

"You told me you'd never lie to me again," she reminded him softly, clearly expressing her disappointment, "you promised me the truth."

Grant appeared momentarily crestfallen, doing his best to avoid her gaze even as her fingertips caressed his cheek. "Skye, I..."

"If you don't want to tell me about it, that's okay, I... I guess I just thought we were past that point, you know?" she managed a weak smile, which Grant did his best to mirror. "Don't bottle this all up, Grant. If you don't want to talk to me, talk to Caroline," she said, referencing his S.H.I.E.L.D. therapist, "or Tripp? I know you guys are friends and maybe he..."

Seizing Skye's hand in his, he pressed a kiss to her palm and widened his eyes as he sought out her gaze, "I promise you, I'm okay. Really."

Skye glanced at him analytically, clearly dubious over his claims, "You are?"

"Absolutely," he replied in earnest, a smile suddenly blossoming on his face as he peered down at her with clear adoration, "I'm here, with you. That's all that matters. It's all I ever wanted."

"I guess, I just... I could see why you wouldn't be fine is all," Skye commented, holding her hands up as though surrendering as she added, "and I totally wouldn't judge you for that."

Grant chuckled, seizing Skye's hands in his own and using her surprise to his advantage as he pulled her down so that she was pressed flush against his chest. He kissed her temple before she could protest, and then locked his arms around her waist to hold her in place.

"Honestly, my issues with Jacqueline are something I put to bed a long time ago," Ward replied, his tone honest. "I'm finally in a place where they can't hurt me any more and I guess I just don't want to go back to that place where I let them have power over me."

"That makes sense," Skye murmured, nodding as she pressed her cheek into Grant's chest.

"As far as I am concerned, she's just another faceless bad guy that we need to bring in to protect a lot of innocent people," Ward concluded, his smile tinged with sorrow.

"Okay," Skye bobbed her head, sliding her hands around his shoulders and locking her fingers across the back of his neck, "but I'm here... if you need me."

Ward arched an eyebrow and smiled wolfishly, suddenly grasping her hips and hauling her onto his lap.

"I need you," he affirmed huskily, his eyes drawn to her lips as his hands settled on the small of her back. Skye cocked her head, leaning in closer so that their lips were almost touching. Her breath ghosted his cheek as her fingertips caressed the back of his neck, and he found himself momentarily stunned once again by the tenderness in her touch.

It was a new and wholly unfamiliar experience for Grant; to feel loved, to find genuine adoration and desire in someone's eyes, and to feel warmth in their touch. For the first time in his life he felt wanted, and not because he could be manipulated or due to his particular skill set, but because his presence brought genuine happiness to someone else's life. The idea was one Grant knew he might never get used to, but definitely one he never wanted to let go of.

Skye's lips descended on his and he smiled into an increasingly urgent kiss, his hands sweeping over her back and up her sides as her fingers grasped at his hair and she all but melted into the hard plains of his chest.

Hunter paused in the doorway, toaster strudel in hand, as he took in the scene before him with amused interest and the slightest hint of disgust.

"Do I have to turn the hoses on you two?" he joked, grinning through a mouthful of food as he waited for the lovers to spring apart, offering suitably lame excuses for their activities.

However, they failed to so much as register the mercenary's presence, and Hunter frowned as he noted that they made no attempt to extract themselves from the other's arms. In fact, hands had begun to make new and entirely inappropriate explorations, whilst the path of heated kisses Ward was dragging down Skye's neck made Hunter feel distinctly uncomfortable. If they were winding him up, they were dedicated to the cause, he had to give them credit.

Skye whimpered as Grant's tongue swirled against her skin, and she forced herself to push him away, her breathing ragged. A mischievous smile settled on her features, and with her hands on his shoulders she pulled herself closer, bending to whisper in his ear.

"Grab my ass," she commanded quietly, earning a bemused frown from her boyfriend, who seemed far too consumed by lust to be able to process the motive behind her demand. "Just do it!"

Needing no further invitation, Ward's hands slid down from her sides and he hurriedly cupped her rear, pushing her hard against him. The involuntary moan that left both their lips at the contact made the tips of Hunter's ears turn pink, and he glanced at the food in his hand, suddenly having lost his appetite. Lance wasn't certain whether to get out his phone and use the footage as leverage at a later point, or get the hell out of the vicinity. In the end, his discomfort won over.

"Bloody Hell! Right. Well. I'll be... Somewhere else... Bleaching my eyeballs."

Hearing his heavy footfalls as he beat a hasty retreat, Skye smiled in triumph and rested her forehead against Ward's as they struggled to catch their breath.

"I think we won that round," she chuckled, peppering a trail of kisses along Grant's jaw and sighing in pleasure as his fingers wove through the ends of her hair.

"Is it over?" Ward murmured his inquiry directly into Skye's earlobe, his voice heavy with disappointment, and he paused to nip at her neck before drawing himself back up to his full height.

"Doesn't have to be," Skye replied, her eyes darkening as she peered up at Grant. She felt her already racing heart hitch once again and her tongue shot out to lick over her kiss swollen lips.

"We do have a little while before Coulson needs us again," he encouraged, laying his hands on Skye's hips and shooting her a hopeful look.

"I guess we do," assented Skye, giggling as Ward seized the opportunity to hoist her up in his arms and, in response, she fastened her legs around his waist. From her new vantage point, Skye peered down into Grant's face, taking a moment to brush the tips of her fingers across his forehead and along the sculpted line of his cheekbone. Her smile was pure and gentle, despite the desire that passed between their bodies with the fervour of an electric current, and Ward released a sigh that reflected perfect contentment as Skye leaned down to rest their heads together.

After a few moments pause, she whispered huskily, "C'mon. I got a few new tricks to show you."

Ward merely arched an eyebrow, his smile replaced by a smirk that was accompanied by a sudden stirring in his pants.

"Oh you do, huh?" he demanded, beginning to walk towards their shared bunk, Skye still with her legs locked around him. His lips abruptly pressed against hers in a hungry kiss, and she found herself panting before she could respond. With a smile full of promise, Skye ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his neck and watched him shudder through wide eyes.

"Uh-huh," she murmured, snatching another clumsy kiss as he carried her toward her bunk, "I've been reading Cosmo."

x-x-x-x-x

Crossing her legs demurely at the ankles, Jacqueline sat back in her seat and regarded her business associate with an even stare. Capturing the man in an analytical gaze, she pursed her lips and waited for him to digest the information she had imparted.

Interlocking his fingers, the Hydra scientist took a slow breath. "So you want us to divert our attention from Raina?"

Jacqueline shrugged as she replied, "Our newest intel. says she's in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, and there is another suitable subject that's come to our attention."

Propping his chin on his clasped fingers, the blonde haired man smiled, "The 084 Coulson recruited?"

"Skye," Jacqueline murmured, smiling as she arched a dark eyebrow, "I'm fairly certain we can get her on board with our little project with some... gentle persuasion."

The scientist frowned, rubbing his forehead with the palm of one hand as worry creased his brow.

"This is risky to say the least, Ms. Ward," he said, shifting in his seat in discomfort.

"Don't call me that," Jacqueline practically snarled, her lips curling as she leaned forwards. The scientist met her gaze reluctantly but unwaveringly, obviously disconcerted by her sudden burst of anger but refusing to be cowed by it.

"Ms. Brooke," he amended, showing no signs of remorse at the slip up. "Attempting an abduction on a member of Coulson's direct team is..."

Jacqueline shook her head and held up one hand, her smile amused as she interjected, "I never said anything about abduction. We're hardly barbarians now, are we?"

As if appearing entirely exasperated with the new turn their conversation had taken, the man huffed and folded his arms, a gesture designed to convey his patience was waning.

"And why exactly would she agree to help us?"

Jacqueline smiled - a slow, disarming smile that made the man's blood run cold.

"Let's just say we have a friend in common. I'm sure that I can find a way to convince her. And... if not... well then, then we can explore other options."

"Do you want me to assemble a team?" he checked, shuffling toward the edge of his seat as he felt himself growing more intrigued by their impromptu plan B. "We could have her followed. Perhaps put..."

"No," Jacqueline held up her hand to silence her colleague, "we do this my way. You catch a lot more flies with honey than you do vinegar, Mr. Schaeffer."

"Doctor," he interjected with a somewhat irritated growl.

"My mistake," Jacqueline purred, her smirk inferring that it was anything but. She reached forwards, the long fingers of her right hand absently brushing against the doctor's knee.

"I'll handle this and I can assure you that we will have results within 48 hours," she continued, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she affixed Dr. Schaeffer with an already smug smile. His expression remained impassive in response but he began to gather his briefcase, which he had stowed underneath his seat. Rising from his seat behind the mahogany table, he shot Jacqueline one final, almost warning, glare.

"See that we do, Ms. Brooke," he stated, his tone even but his eyes determined in comparison, "or else Hydra will be left with no other option than to terminate our agreement."

"It won't be a problem, I assure you," Jacqueline deflected his warning with a wave of her hand and an air of arrogance that did not go unnoticed.

Nodding his head in unwilling agreement, Dr. Schaeffer used his free hand to button his suit jacket before he made his way toward the office door. His hand resting on the handle, he paused as he turned to regard the brunette with an odd smile twitching at his lips. "And what about your brother? He's loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D... To Fury..."

Jacqueline bristled at the mention of her sibling, and Schaeffer seemed pleased that he had managed to rattle his accomplice, who was not among his most favoured partners.

"I know how to handle my little brother."

"I hope for your sake that you do," he countered, and Jacqueline easily detected the warning in his words.

With a grin that could be described only as manic, Jacqueline replied quickly, "Grant has always known his place."

The doctor only chuckled, leaning against the door jamb as his eyes roved the woman's face. Finally, curiosity seeming to get the better of him, he pressed, "And what if he's forgotten it? Almost two decades is a long time."

Jacqueline's smirk faded but she straightened up in her chair and affixed the man with a steely eyed glare, her hands resting on the tabletop before her, allowing the natural light to reflect off the red polish on her false nails.

"There are some things the human mind never truly forgets," she said quietly but steadily, nodding at the scientist to indicate that they were done.

"You think she'll betray him?"

Jacqueline shrugged, leaning back in her chair as she folded her arms. "I think everyone has a price."

The doctor cocked his head, one foot over the threshold of the office door.

"And what if she loves him?"

He blinked when the brunette laughed out loud, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she batted one hand at him as though he had told the funniest joke she'd ever heard.

"Please. Love? What a childish notion, Dieter. As I said, everyone has a price. And as for my brother... what we started, John Garrett more than finished. Nobody could love Grant; he's a monster."

"Family trait?" Dr. Schaeffer said smoothly as he eyed her, slightly perturbed by her lack of loyalty even to her own flesh and blood. It didn't bode well if they expected the woman to remain loyal to Hydra or to put their organisation's needs above her own. Picking up the phone as if to dismiss him further, Jacqueline's fingers curled around the handset and she glared back at him with disdain that equalled his own.

"Oh, we're not family, Doctor. We never have been."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

The sun beat furiously against the back of Skye's neck as she strolled down the crowded sidewalk. Side-stepping out of the way of fellow pedestrians, she paused to peer in the window of the nearest store, feigning interest in the display of gaudy bed linens and kitsch home decor. A flamingo shaped table lamp caught her attention, and she grinned as she briefly contemplated how the garish object would look in her bunk on the Bus.

"She's heading around the corner toward you, you should have a visual any... time... _now,_" Bobbi whispered in her ear.

Trying her best to ignore the comms. device, Skye strolled away from the window and paused to adjust the strap of her bag on her shoulder. The brunette passed her with purposeful strides and Skye fell into a slow stroll in her wake, thankful that her mark's height made it easier to track her in the crowds.

"Okay, she's headed into Starbucks," Bobbi stated, watching the path of Jacqueline Ward on the monitor from the nearby van. Ward sat beside her and Hunter made up the rest of the trio, although the latter had been relegated to the task of driver after he and Bobbi appeared to be embroiled in a pretty spectacular lovers' tiff.

Bobbi glanced up at her colleague, surprised to see the faint trace of unease on his features. It wasn't often Grant Ward looked anything other than cock-sure and certain of himself, particularly on missions, yet he seemed pensive and nervous. Bobbi could only assume that the presence of his sister was behind the sudden change in his demeanour.

"How you holding up?" Bobbi inquired, directing a rare smile at Grant, who glanced up in obvious surprise. Behind his eyes there was a certain wild look that Bobbi did not recognise, and she wondered just what horrors of the past were being relived in the man's troubled mind.

"Fine. I'm fine," Ward lied, although neither Hunter nor Bobbi elected to push him on the point.

"Heading inside now," came Skye's whispered narrative, and she added quickly, "comms. will be going silent from here on out, guys."

Ward blew out a loud, shaky breath and Bobbi resisted the urge to glance at him again, certain that he would not appreciate the attention.

From inside the coffee shop, Skye approached the counter and flashed a grin at the barista, making a show of crouching down in front of the glass cake counter as though she were deliberating carefully over her choice. In reality, Skye was using the highly polished glass in order to give her a good view of Jacqueline Ward as she settled into a chair and placed her own coffee mug onto the table in front of her. She sat back in her seat with a serene smile on her face, her eyes affixed on the growing queue that was spilling out of the door already.

Making a hasty selection from the row of pastries, Skye cast a fleeting glance at her mark, then turned back to smile at the barista as she awaited her mug of coffee. A brief pang of unease had settled in the pit of her stomach but Skye paid it no mind as she accepted her drink and took a seat by the window on one of the stools. She ripped open a sachet of sugar and tipped it into the hot beverage, her eyes wandering the room.

"You're on your own now, Skye. But we're right outside and we're listening." Bobbi assured her before Skye heard the click of the device in her ear that signalled no further advice or encouragement would be coming her way from Mockingbird.

Skye toyed with the corner of the chocolate brownie on her plate as she shot another, surreptitious glance over at Jacqueline, suddenly startling as she found the woman was not in her seat. Her mug remained on the table, untouched, steam wafting up into the air in thin spires.

"Skye?"

Skye closed her eyes and inhaled a slow, steadying breath before she turned in her seat and to meet her new companion's gaze.

"I'm so glad we got the opportunity to meet. My name's Jacqueline. You won't have heard of me, I'm sure, but... I'm Grant's sister."

Skye's jaw set and she swept her obviously derisive gaze over the woman. "Oh, I've heard _all_ about you."

"Really?" Jacqueline inquired, her smile bright and in no way portraying the chagrin it rightly should have in Skye's opinion.

"Really," Skye replied flatly, breaking off a chunk from her brownie and popping it into her mouth, more to distract herself from the other woman's intense gaze than to sate her chocolate cravings.

"Well, it's been a while since Grant and I have..." Jacqueline began, her head tipped slightly to one side as she surveyed Skye.

"Let's cut the bullshit, shall we?" Skye interjected, leaning back in her chair and shooting the woman an unimpressed look. "We both know you're hardly the Bradys so let's not waste any more time pretending. Since I've clearly been made, I can only assume you know that S.H.I.E.L.D. are watching you very closely so, really my only question is, what do you want, Jacqueline? You didn't come over here just to talk about your kid brother."

Jacqueline adjusted her posture and leaned back slightly in order to survey the younger woman, and Skye found the gesture was eerily familiar. "What if I did? What if I want to make amends?"

Skye chuckled, wiping up her fingers on a paper napkin as she snorted derisively, "Lady, don't start that crap with me, okay? I am the wrong person to fall for that whole 'I'm so sorry, let's just snuggle' shit, so... what do you want?"

Jacqueline pursed her lips and appeared to mull over her response, "Yet you forgave my brother..."

Skye's eyes narrowed and she drew closer as she pinned the other woman underneath the weight of her glare.

"You don't talk to me about your brother, okay?! Grant's off limits to you. Whatever game it is you're playing, I'm not interested. So I'll ask you again; what do you want?"

Jacqueline spread her hands out upon the table, her expression earnest as she gazed at the hacker, who stared back at her newest adversary with a sour frown.

"Skye, I'm not here to cause trouble, that much I swear to you," Jacqueline stated, pausing to chew on her bottom lip.

"Really? After everything I've heard about you - and I've heard a lot about you - I'm having a real hard time believing that," Skye retorted, shaking her head at the absurdity of the claim.

Something almost resembling hurt flashed across Jacqueline's face and she shook her head vehemently, tendrils of dark hair whipping her cheeks. She reached across the table and, before Skye could register what she was doing, her hands were encased in Jacqueline's, manicured nails almost digging into her knuckles. Skye was too shocked by the sudden gesture to attempt to withdraw and instead her mouth dropped open as she glared at the woman.

"I can almost guarantee that not everything you've heard about me is fact, Skye," she stated, her voice a soft, gentle purr, "I loved my brother dearly, truly I did, but he wasn't always the easiest child. I know you don't want to talk about it but you have to believe me that I only want the best for him, and if he's finally found happiness with you, after his deeply troubled past, then I couldn't be more thrilled for him. But as you already know, that's not why I'm here. I have a business proposition for you, Skye, one which I hope you will seriously consider. I only want to help. I want to... truly make a difference to the world."

"Oh, you already have," Skye snarled, recalling with a shudder the images of Teocelo that would forever be imprinted on her memory. The horrors of their discovery would remain with Coulson's team indefinitely, with few among them able to shake the horrific imagery that greeted them. Men, women, children - Skye only had to blink to see their terrified faces and calcified corpses.

Changing tack, Jacqueline swept her eyes over the young woman in a wholly predatory manner as she said, "I've got a business proposition for you, Skye."

"Me?" Skye guffawed, immediately shaking her head. "Yeah... I don't see that happening. Mainly because you're an evil bitch."

Jacqueline brushed her hair over her shoulder and arched a dark eyebrow, "Have you ever considered that what you have heard about me perhaps isn't the truth? We both know Grant has told more than his share of tall tales in the past. We both know what he's truly capable of... If I'm being honest Skye, and I think that's important if we're going to trust each other, I'm more than a little surprised that someone like you could even begin to care about a man like my brother."

Skye pushed her cup further away from the edge of the bar she sat at and climbed to her feet, anger coursing through her veins. "I'm not listening to this. You don't know anything about him. Whatever he is, whatever he's done, Grant's a good man."

"Ah, young love," Jacqueline mocked, "so passionate, so all-consuming, so... utterly deluded."

"Get out of my way," Skye snarled, snatching up her purse and slinging it onto her shoulder. She had barely taken a handful of steps when Jacqueline's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I know what you are."

Inside the van, Bobbi, Hunter and Grant instantly sat up straighter, their expressions ranging from curious to horrified.

"Shit," Bobbi cursed, shaking her head as she fiddled with the various knobs and buttons on the comms. system in an attempt to bring the earpiece Skye wore back to life. Grant's face had paled significantly, his pallor completely chalk white and even his lips having lost their colour.

"Tell her to get out of there," he growled, his eyes belaying his desperation as he clawed at Bobbi's arm and reiterated, "tell her to come back, now!"

Swallowing hard, Skye spun on her heel to address the woman before her, arms crossed over her chest and features schooled into a stoic mask.

"And what's that exactly?" Skye demanded, tipping her chin upwards in a defiant gesture as she met Jacqueline's eyes.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. call you a 084. I've read your file from cover to cover, Skye. You're not like the rest of us. At least, half of you isn't... And I believe you could help us. You could help us find a cure for a disease - a weapon that could destroy all of humanity."

Skye shook her head, truly bemused and also angered by the woman's apparently slim grasp on reality. "The weapon you and your Hydra pals created, you mean?!"

Jacqueline smiled and cocked her head, "Hydra's really more my brother's thing, wouldn't you say?!"

"We're done talking now," Skye dismissed her, turning back to the exit and storming through the tables and chairs. When she reached the door, she pushed hard against it, bursting outside into the sunshine as she struggled to banish the fear threatening to choke her. She broke into a slow run in a desperate attempt to leave Jacqueline Ward behind - and yet the woman followed, undeterred by Skye's blatant disregard for her proposition.

"All we need is a few blood samples, Skye," Jacqueline all but pleaded, matching Skye's pace easily with her long legs. "It would be just like taking a medical, that's all, and you could help to save so many lives. Just think of it..."

"Back off before I put you on your ass," growled Skye, eyes flashing as she stared at the woman with undisguised hostility.

Jacqueline's fingers clamped down around Skye's wrist, her grip surprisingly fierce and succeeding in halting the agent in her tracks, even as she attempted to abandon her mission to retreat back to the van where she prayed her team were waiting.

"You listen to me, you silly little girl," Jacqueline hissed, leaning down into Skye's face until they were almost nose to nose, her fingertips biting painfully into her skin. "I'm giving you the chance for your pathetic life to actually mean something. Can't you just be grateful?"

"Get your God damn hand off me or I'll break your wrist," Skye warned her, fury igniting behind her eyes as she shrugged off Jacqueline's fingers and took a step back.

"Skye, I... I'm sorry, I just... there are so many people needlessly dying, and you're the key. You could be the one to save them all," Jacqueline crooned, hoping to appeal to either Skye's ego or her better nature.

"Do you listen to yourself?" Skye demanded, shaking her head and staring at the woman askance. She glanced furtively across the street toward the unmarked black S.H.I.E.L.D. van, desperate to shake off her new would-be associate. She knew that reasoning with Jacqueline was unrealistic, and the vitriol the woman was consistently spewing about Ward was pushing Skye closer to the precarious edge of her temper. Whilst she realised that making a scene in the centre of a crowded street would be in the best interests of neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor herself, she could feel her grip on her temper slipping away as each second passed.

"You and I? We're not gonna be friends or business associates, and I'm sure as hell not helping you in your psycho plans for world domination."

"Then maybe I'll just take what I want..." Jacqueline replied evenly, planting her hand on her hip and shooting Skye a glance that told her all pretence and formality was well and truly over.

"I would like to see you try," Skye replied dangerously, her lip curling as she surveyed the woman with open disgust.

"If you so much as try to lay a finger on her, you'll be dealing with me," a familiar voice, dripping with fury, stated suddenly from behind Skye. She resisted the urge to shoot a glance over her shoulder, unwilling in part to take her eyes off Jacqueline's imposing figure, and also knowing already that she would find Grant standing behind her. The gentle touch in the centre of her back seconds later alerted her to the fact that she was correct, and Skye consented to a small smile as the proximity of her boyfriend both reassured and calmed her.

"Now Grant, that wasn't much of a threat fifteen years ago and it's really not much of one now either," Jacqueline giggled, a broad and pleased smile erupting upon her face as her eyes swept her brother from head to toe in an appraising manner.

"Fifteen years ago I was a scared kid who couldn't defend himself..." Ward replied, matching his sister's hostility note for note, "it's a threat now, Jacqueline. Believe me. You won't lay a finger on Skye."

Jacqueline frowned as she pretended to ponder his words, "Well that's sweet... really, it is. I hope you do a better job of protecting her than you did Thomas."

She grinned, revealing a row of sparkling white teeth, and Ward felt his fists clench as he contemplated the thousand and one ways he knew of to wipe her smile clean off her face.

He ushered Skye behind him, yet she refused to cower from the Medcore exec's threats - and so she remained at his flank, content to slip her hand into his and stand beside him. She hoped Jacqueline saw the symbolism behind her defiant gesture.

"You and I have nothing more to say to each other," said Skye, squeezing Grant's hand as she tried to indicate that escaping the situation was her priority. Grant's fingers curled around hers in response, and Skye felt her heart rate begin to slow from its panicked metre.

"You heard the lady," Grant stated, tone flat and jaw tense. Fingertips discretely brushing his wrist, Skye was unsurprised to feel his pulse pounding frantically, and a pang of sympathy ran through her as she contemplated how truly terrifying it must be for Grant to continually stare down the darkest parts of his past.

"I did," Jacqueline admonished in a resigned voice, although the accompanying smile seemed odd and wholly unperturbed.

However, to both Skye and Ward's surprise, she turned on her heel and began to walk slowly away from the couple. Just as it seemed she would melt away into the crowd, Jacqueline spun around again, and all traces of a grin were absent from her features, replaced instead by a cold, hard expression of sheer loathing that made Skye feel sick to the stomach.

"You know this isn't over, Grant," she called out, not seeming to care that people were now turning to stare at her, curiosity alive in their eyes, "I always get what I want."

"Not this time," Grant retorted, his upper lip curling back in a snarl that ordinarily would have spiked fear into the heart of the person on the receiving end of it. Jacqueline only tossed back her head and howled with laughter, one hand pressed to her chest in an affected gesture that Skye had only ever seen before in movies.

"I guess only time will tell, little brother," she drawled, chuckling to herself as she cast a fleeting glance at Skye, and then faded into the crowd.

Grant's fingers clutched Skye's that little bit tighter as the two agents stared at the woman's retreating form until she was finally out of sight.

"Okay, so... your family sucks," Skye sighed, barely blinking as she continued to stare off into the throng of shoppers as though she expected Jacqueline to return at any moment, "kind of makes me glad I never knew mine."

Ward tore his gaze away from the horizon and glanced down at her briefly, "I guess now you know why Garret seemed like the better option."

He faltered for only a moment, before turning to face Skye and tilting her head up so that he could hold her gaze.

"Are you okay?" he checked, hesitant and apologetic at the same time.

Skye nodded, placing her hand over his and tenderly stroking her fingertips over his scarred knuckles. "I'm fine."

Drawing in a deep yet hurried breath, Ward drew her closer into his chest, half in an effort to provide her comfort and half for his own reassurance. "I won't let her hurt you, Skye. You have my word... I..."

Leaning up on tip toe, Skye pressed a kiss to his lips in a bid to silence him. Clutching his hand tighter in her own, she gestured over to the van with a wry smile.

"Look, this whole thing was a bust. Let's just get the hell out of here."

Ward nodded, allowing Skye to take the lead as they crossed the street and made their way toward the surveillance van. He watched the crowds carefully, his eyes landing on every face, analysing the body language and stances of each passer-by. His sister's words reverberated like a siren in his head. She was up to something, and Skye would not be safe until Jacqueline Ward and her associates were dispatched. Casting a final glance out onto the street, Ward joined Skye in the back of the van and slammed the doors with a resounding thud.

**x-x-x**

Coulson watched from the balcony as Ward rained blow after violent blow down upon the punching bag, breathing hard and hardly seeming to notice the fact that his hair was matted flat to his head with sweat. The director crossed his arms and let loose a heavy sigh as he realised he could do nothing more than watch as one of his agents came apart at the seams, and whilst he found that he understood the reason for Ward's sudden episode, he was concerned that the team could do nothing to pull him from it. From behind the safety of the glass lab doors, Simmons also watched, biting her lip nervously as she shot almost sympathetic glances at Ward whilst maintaining the guise of working. Fitz maintained no such pretences, and simply stood in front of the closed double doors with his arms crossed and a strange grimace upon his face.

"Should you go talk to him?" Coulson inquired softly, forgoing any greeting as he sensed a presence behind him, and immediately knew that Skye had joined him on the balcony.

The young hacker shook her head, then, realising that Coulson was oblivious to the gesture, she spoke quietly and in a tone that betrayed her own concern for her boyfriend, "I will. He just needs to work off some of the tension first. Right now, down there with the bag is the best place for him."

Coulson nodded, wincing as Ward hit the punch bag with such aggression and precision that the chain holding it aloft began to tug threateningly at the bolt that anchored it to the ceiling.

"I'm going to assume he's told you more about his relationship with his siblings than is in his file," Coulson began diplomatically, "I'm not asking you to betray his confidence, Skye, but is... I mean... is it..."

Skye's expression set into one of anger, and she nodded as she considered all of the memories Grant had shared with her.

"Horrible? Unimaginable? Yeah. Pretty much."

Coulson's mouth set into a grim line and he simply sighed in response, watching as Ward redoubled his efforts at beating his pent up frustration and rage out of the bag.

"I don't mean to push," Coulson murmured, squinting at the younger agent as he grunted with the effort of throwing his full body weight behind each blow, "but..."

"Yeah, yeah, he's breaking your plane," Skye finished with a roll of her eyes. She had already begun to descend the staircase but she paused to hiss over her shoulder, "Little privacy here, D.C.?"

Nodding, although appearing reluctant to say the least, Coulson turned on his heel and disappeared into the corridor, leaving Skye and Ward without an audience, save for the two scientists still making a pretence of scurrying busily around the lab.

Knowing that it was unlikely that Ward would sense her approach in his tense state, Skye loudly cleared her throat, choosing not to lay her hand on his shoulder since she was unable to gauge his potential reaction. When Ward appeared not to have heard her, she stopped several paces behind him, arms folded across her chest.

"So if this is what you handling your emotions looks like, I'd sure hate to see you lose control," Skye said, her tone unnaturally bright and her voice louder than usual.

He halted almost immediately, and Skye watched as the muscles in his shoulders tensed and he held the punch bag in place, halting its motion. His breathing was laboured and he paused to catch his breath, leaning into the bag, his forearms resting against it. Slowly, he turned to face her, and the anguish she found etched on his features made her heart skip a beat. His eyes were wide and haunted by memories - some he had told her about, others he was too ashamed or afraid to impart to another living soul.

"I'm sorry," he ground out hoarsely, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he stared down at her with an expression of guilt that caught her off guard.

"Hey, it's the punch bag I feel bad for," she joked, her smile fading as their eyes locked. Ward swallowed hard, his gaze searching out the two figures standing in observation in the lab, and Skye huffed as she followed Grant's line of sight only to see FitzSimmons attempt to spring back to life and look busy.

"Guys, come on?!" she yelled out, shaking her head in disdain as they shuffled toward the back of the lab, pretending to attend to some task or other.

"No... I meant..." Ward shook his head, averting his gaze to the ground, "I'm sorry for what happened today."

"Look, Ward... I'm pretty sure your sister wanted us to be besties because of my 084 status, not because of you. This has nothing to do with you, Grant, and... none of this is your fault," Skye explained with a frown.

Grant shook his head instantly, bestowing on her a sad smile, as if Skye had somehow missed a key element of Jacqueline's plan that should have been glaringly obvious.

"Don't you get it, Skye? If she can hurt you to get at me then..." he tailed off with a pained grimace, unable to even contemplate such an eventuality.

"Please," Skye scoffed, chuckling and shaking her head, "I'm a total badass now. She doesn't stand a chance."

Ward frowned, his eyes darkening as he insisted urgently, "This is serious, Skye. Can we please not make jokes for a second?"

Skye pursed her lips and peered up into her boyfriend's face, her expression carefully schooled to not betray her overriding concern for his mental state.

"Ward, calm down," she instructed, her tone no-nonsense as she reached up and caressed his cheek with the back of her hand, "I know how hard this is... I've been there, with my Dad, and it's going to get a lot harder before it gets any easier. You need to keep it together here because the team needs you... I need you, and breaking down right now is just not an option."

"I wasn't..." Ward attempted to defend himself, seeming outraged at the suggestion, however, Skye raised one hand in a warning gesture, fending off his protests.

"You were doing a great impression of a guy about to lose it, Grant," she reiterated, arching a brow as though daring him to argue again. "There's too much at stake here. What you're doing now is handing her victory on a platter. Not just over S.H.I.E.L.D. but over you too."

Her thumb brushed gently over his cheekbone and she took a single step closer, finding that she was almost able to feel the heat radiating from his body.

"You're not that kid any more, Ward. You're like... you're like some freakin' one man army. I know what your parents did... what Garrett did to you... that was unimaginable and evil, but you have people who care about you now, despite every messed up thing that happened. Two of them have their ears pressed up against that window over there right now..." Ward consented to smile momentarily, glancing up to find Fitz and Simmons once again starting in surprise. They bustled away from the science lab doors with their heads bowed and their cheeks reddening, making it obvious that they had been caught in the act of eavesdropping.

"And..." Skye continued, reaching out and taking Grant's hand in hers, "you've got me. Finally... yay!" Her smirk was teasing but kind, and she squeezed his hand as he consented to huff out a laugh at her well-meaning taunt. "So, what do you say you quit trying to trash Coulson's new plane, you take a shower, and we find a way to put all of that energy to better use, huh?"

Skye widened her eyes imploringly, smiling as Ward seemed to sigh in defeat and his entire stance became more relaxed. He drew her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead, and Skye stepped into his embrace to hug him back tightly.

"Seriously, Ward, take a God damn shower," she complained, wrinkling her nose playfully as she found that the sweat drenched fabric of his shirt stuck to her cheek.

Pressing his lips to the crown of her head, Grant murmured softly, "I love you, Skye."

"I love you," she replied, a smile overtaking her lips as she realised just how easily she was able to part with the affirmation in Ward's presence, despite the lifetime of hurt that had once prevented her from allowing herself to feel too much.

"Thank you," he said as he drew reluctantly away from Skye's embrace to affix her with a steady look, "for being here to pull me back from the edge... I guess that's something I've never had before."

Skye nodded, her smile tinged with sadness as she squeezed Grant's hand in her own and stated firmly, "There are a lot of people on this plane that care enough to help, if you'll let them."

Ward nodded slowly, seemingly embarrassed to be in a state where he might need the help or understanding of his friends and colleagues. But he allowed her to lead him toward the metal staircase, and they walked hand in hand toward his bunk down a thankfully empty hall.

Pausing outside his door, Skye tugged on his hand and smiled up at him with a characteristic confidence and buoyancy that he'd come to love. "Hey, Ward? It's gonna be okay, you know."

He found himself smiling faintly, despite the utter misery and desperation he was struggling to rise above.

Arching an eyebrow to prompt an explanation, he watched as she simply shrugged and then reached up to press her palm to his cheek. Holding his gaze, she stated simply, "Because some things are just meant to be."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

It was with a heavy sigh that Skye's eyes snapped open, even as she pressed her cheek closer to the solid wall of Grant's chest. He was already awake, she knew beyond a doubt, since his fingers brushed her temple, and she consented to a sleepy smile whilst he continued his ministrations.

"What time is it?" Skye mumbled, swiping at her eyes with the back of one hand, although she remained half sprawled against her boyfriend. The couple had returned to Grant's bunk for an impromptu movie marathon during their down time and had instead found themselves slumped side by side, fast asleep, within the first half hour.

"We missed dinner," Grant replied, his own tone still carrying slight vestiges of sleep. Skye's lips curved into a smile and she shrugged, electing instead to bury her face into the crook of Ward's neck before nipping at his shoulder with her teeth.

Skye hummed airily to herself, instead pressing a kiss against the warm skin of his throat before she allowed her eyes to flutter closed again and she felt his arms encircle her as she snuggled closer. His hand swept circles across her back whilst the fingers of his other hand continued to comb through her hair.

"How are you doing?" she checked, smiling brightly as his lips ghosted her temple and the brush of his stubble burned against the skin of her cheek.

"Better," Ward confirmed, releasing a drawn out sigh as he closed his eyes and felt his body relax into the mattress. The tension ebbed from his body as they lay entangled, and the weight of her in his arms brought a smile to his face.

"Good," Skye lifted her head and gazed down at him affectionately, leaning over him to brush a kiss against his lips. She giggled as his hand drifted hurriedly to the back of her head and he returned her kiss with a hunger that elicited a groan of approval from the former hacker.

"I think you should make me grilled cheese," Skye suddenly stated, pulling away but leaving her lips teasingly close to his. Ward laughed and arched an eyebrow, reaching up and brushing her hair out of her face as she moved to lay against his chest.

"Hmmm, and what's in it for me?" he mused, an expression of feigned thoughtfulness spread across his face. Skye pursed her lips and appeared to deliberate over the question for a few moments. Finally, her features were overcome once more by a smile, and she poked Grant in the chest.

"My undying gratitude," she supplied, fluttering her lashes at her boyfriend in a pantomime of innocence. Ward tossed back his head and laughed, drawing Skye back into his body as the need to feel her against him resurfaced.

"You'll have to do better than that, sweetheart," he scoffed, his eyes conveying his mirth, although his expression informed Skye that he was unmoved by her pleas.

"But you make it better than I do," she whined, pushing out her bottom lip into an impressive pout as she raised her head and affixed Ward with a long, sad look.

"That face? Doesn't work on me," Ward informed her behind a well-concealed grin. He pulled his lips into a tight line and shrugged, although his amusement and affection betrayed him as she looked back at him defiantly and stroked her fingertip across his bottom lip.

"Yeah... It really does," she whined, craning her neck to press her lips against his. His fingers curled around the back of her head and he pulled her closer, lifting his head from the pillow as he kissed her. A loud, poorly timed grumble echoed from Skye's abdomen and she laughed against his lips before they broke apart and his eyes ticked between her face and her protesting stomach.

"I told you I was hungry," she giggled, watching as he smiled and shook his head in defeat. He patted her playfully on the rear as he gently eased her off him in order to sit up.

"Alright, you win," he sighed, and she beamed in response before kneeling up on the bed to loop her arms around his neck from behind. Hugging him tightly, she planted a kiss against his cheek.

"Nawww. See? Best boyfriend ever."

"I'll remind you of that next time I piss you off," he retorted, moving to swing his legs over the side of the bed so he could rise. Skye threw her arms around his waist and tugged him backwards so that he fell flat against the mattress once again, and she gazed down at him with a wide grin fixed in place.

"You never piss me off," she said sweetly, successfully resisting the urge to guffaw at the sceptical look Ward directed at her. It was almost comical, the way one eyebrow shot up and the other furrowed downwards, and Skye reached out to smooth her fingertips across his forehead without even really thinking.

"Well, okay, you do sometimes," she replied, a hint more of honesty in her tone as she added, "but it's a lot less than you used to so... bright side?"

Rolling his eyes good naturedly, Ward stood up and extended a hand out towards her, hauling her to her feet but keeping her hand enclosed in his even as she moved to his side. At a pace no greater than a slow amble, the couple made their way toward the kitchen area of the Bus, pausing every now and then to share a look or knowing smile. Stopping in front of the refrigerator, Ward finally released Skye's hand and opened the door, peering inside until he'd successfully located the cheese and a bag of salad for good measure.

"Stop trying to make everything healthy." Skye wrinkled her nose, snatching the salad bag back off him and tossing it into the refrigerator with a glower.

"Oooh, is someone making grilled cheese?" Fitz enquired, breezing into the kitchen with a smile that betrayed his enthusiasm at the prospect. He rubbed his hands together gleefully before he slapped Ward on the shoulder and leant his elbows on the counter to survey his friend's progress.

"Few slices of tomato, dash of tabasco, and don't forget to cut the crusts off," Fitz informed him, beaming as Ward turned and regarded him with a wholly unamused expression playing on his features.

Reaching out to steal a slice of cheese, Fitz ignored the tight grip Ward had on the bread knife in his hand, even as he added wryly, "You did throw me out of a plane..."

Ward began to slice extra cheese, his tone only mildly irritated as he demanded, "Really? Playing dirty, Fitz? I thought you were better than that."

"No, you were wrong, I'm not," Fitz simply replied, shrugging as he smirked and then popped a slice of tomato into his mouth.

Hiding a grin, Skye said innocently, "Maybe I should go ask Coulson if he wants one? I mean, you did shoot at Lola."

Heaving a long suffering sigh, Ward shook his head and continued to assemble three sandwiches even as Skye and Fitz exchanged amused glances and snickered amongst themselves at the Specialist's expense. Truthfully, he knew their teasing was nothing but good natured and so he endured it easily, actually revelling in the feeling of being surrounded by people who knew him and cared about him enough to be able to crack jokes at his expense; at least, the kind that contained no malice and instead reflected the affection they bore for him. Simmons and May were not quite there yet, but Ward was happy to grab onto whatever crumbs of acceptance he was thrown, and the easy way in which Fitz had once again begun to carry himself in the Specialist's presence quietly delighted Ward; there was a time Grant had feared that Fitz would never be able to overlook the hand he had played in the Scot's brain injury and, whilst he could understand, such an idea had devastated him.

Less than fifteen minutes later, three plates of grilled cheese were assembled on the kitchen counter, although only one was marred by the presence of any salad leaves. Skye perched on the counter beside Ward's designated work space, watching him with a thinly veiled hunger, which was only partially related to her desire for lunch.

"Ahh, champion. Thanks, mate!" Fitz said, swiping up his plate and shooting Ward a grateful smile before he hurried off toward the lounge area of the plane to enjoy his sandwich away from the canoodling he suspected was soon to begin.

"Mmmm," Skye enthused, taking an enormous bite out of her food and closing her eyes in appreciation, "so good! Cheese is like the best thing ever."

Ward laughed as he watched her bite off another mouthful of her sandwich, and she wiped demurely at the corner of her mouth with her fingertip. Dropping the greasy sandwich onto the plate and brushing her hands together, she smiled as he planted his hands on either side of her thighs and leant in to claim her lips with his own.

"Mmm... second best," she murmured, locking her legs around his hips until her knee caps pressed against his thighs and she slung her arms around his neck to shuffle closer.

Her grin melted into a seductive smirk as she leaned up and rested her hands on the collar of Ward's shirt, smoothing down the cotton with nimble fingers. Grant craned his neck and closed the short distance between their lips without warning, his tongue working her mouth almost desperately as his hand explored the back of her head. The sound of someone clearing their throat from the threshold of the kitchen doorway sent the couple flying apart, Skye retreating further onto the counter so that her back was pressed against the cupboard door and Ward leaping back several paces until he was almost hugging the microwave.

"Coulson wants to see everyone in the briefing room immediately," Agent May stated, just barely arching an eyebrow as she added, "and sanitise that counter."

"Right. Yep... Sorry." Skye winced, feeling the deep blush colouring her cheeks as the infamous Cavalry shot her a testy glare. May remained in the doorway for a moment, apparently sizing Ward up with an intense glare that made the Specialist fold his arms across his chest in a defensive pose.

"We'll... see you guys in there," Skye mumbled, hopping down from the counter and rewarding her former mentor with what she hoped was a dismissive smile. Lingering for only a moment longer, Melinda curtly turned on her heel and left the couple alone. Watching her retreating figure, Ward pursed his lips and turned his gaze to his girlfriend.

"Pretty sure she's still planning on murdering me in my sleep."

Skye laughed and curled her fingers around his bicep, and she leant up to press a kiss against his cheek.

"It's okay. I'll protect you."

Grant shook his head even as he smirked in his girlfriend's direction, although he allowed her to grasp his hand without resistance. Together they approached the briefing room, where the other members of the team were beginning to filter in, and Ward noted with a faint spark of amusement how Fitz still munched on his toasted cheese sandwich.

"Damn, wonder if I have time to run back and grab mine?" Skye pondered, her thoughtful expression communicating that she wasn't even half joking.

Ward shot her a disbelieving look and gestured to the edge of the room, several paces away from where Bobbi and Hunter stood side by side, naturally bickering quietly with each other.

Coulson was already dominating the centre of the room, his hands clasped in front of his body, and Ward noted how he seemed to be constantly shifting his weight from one foot to the other in a clear display of nervous energy. Immediately, Grant's jaw tensed and his posture straightened as he considered the many pieces of bad news that the Director was perhaps poised to deliver to the team, all of them likely centring around one Jacqueline Ward and her association with Hydra.

Taking a seat next to each other around the table, Ward and Skye took their place in the assembled team, each slightly perturbed by the reassuring smile Coulson suddenly flashed in their direction.

"Agent Morse..." Coulson coaxed, sitting on the edge of the table with his arms folded across his chest as he waited for the Mockingbird to relay the details of the intel. gathering operation on Jacqueline Ward. Morse clutched an i-pad in her hand, and with a few swipes of her finger, images began appearing on the screen behind her. Some were of Jacqueline, others were of various Medcore employees, and the majority were accompanied by screenshots of ID files of individuals already known to SHIELD.

"So we've been watching Jacqueline, seeing where she goes, who she talks to... and this guy caught our eye."

Ward sat back in his chair, and he watched as all eyes landed on the screen where the image of a white haired, tall, thin man appeared. He clutched a briefcase in one hand and an old fashioned umbrella in the other, and his image conjured up comparisons to an old-fashioned Bond villain.

"So this guy's Hydra... right?" Skye began, gesturing to the screen at the impossibly stereotypical image of their latest villain.

"Dr. Dieter Schaeffer," Ward filled in with a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, a clear display of his anxiety, but he made no move to shrug off the hand that Skye rested on his shoulder.

"Right," Bobbi turned on her heel and narrowed her eyes at the Specialist, "you know this guy?"

Ward shook his head, "I never met him but he's pretty infamous amongst certain Hydra factions. The guy's old school - medical experimentation, plans for world domination- the whole nine yards."

"A real charmer," Bobbi conceded dryly, immediately flicking the image on the tablet so that the screen in the room instead presented a photograph of a familiar object, which appeared to be displayed in some form of glass casing.

"The diviner..." Skye mumbled, unable to contain her outburst as she squinted at the image. Immediately, memories from San Juan assailed her and she gulped as she recalled her desperate power struggle with Raina to prevent the woman from descending into the underground city, where she had all but begged Skye to follow her. However, she had indeed managed to take down the woman with Grant's help, preventing her from using the relic for its intended purpose, the nature of which sent a jolt of fear through Skye's body.

"_A _diviner," Bobbi corrected, adding quickly, "the artefact that Raina was in possession of is locked down in a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. location."

"Well then where did this image come from?" Skye pressed, suddenly leaning forwards in interest.

"This was in the files May and I lifted from Medcore whilst you were... otherwise indisposed in the lobby," clarified Bobbi, managing to hide a smirk of amusement at the last second. "From the information we have gleaned from that drive and the reports turned in so far by Doctor Banner, we believe..."

"We believe that Hydra somehow managed to obtain a second diviner, and they entrusted it to Medcore with the sole purpose of them creating a virus or, more accurately, a form of plague capable of causing mass human fatality within mere hours," Simmons interjected in a rush, her cheeks flushed as she regarded Skye with the enthusiasm of her discoveries vying for dominance across her features against her disgust.

"Great. Well, that sounds... awesome." Skye sucked a breath in through her teeth and leant back in her seat once again. Simmons bobbed her head in ready agreement.

"So far, we know the incubation period can be anywhere from 24 hours to... as little as 30 minutes. Dr. Banner is still working on an antidote, but from the files we were able to extract from the Medcore mainframe, the answer may very well lie in uhm..."

"In?" Skye prompted, eyes widening as she tried to hurry Jemma along. She glanced around at the faces surrounding the table and noted their similarly uncomfortable expressions. Simmons herself was almost squirming in her seat.

"The blood of an Inhuman," Fitz filled in, bunching up the paper napkin in his hand as he frowned at Jemma's pointed glare. "What? Well, it is."

"There are more delicate ways to say it, Fitz," Jemma scolded, rolling her eyes as she turned away from her fellow scientist and instead affixed Skye with a somewhat wan smile.

"That's why Jacqueline wants Skye's blood," May theorised, though her tone was as neutral as ever whether anger simmered below the surface or not.

"Can't sell a biological weapon without having the means to protect the buyer from its effects," Coulson added, rubbing at the stubble that peppered his jaw as he considered the situation. He turned to Skye almost hesitantly, a gentle smile playing across his lips as he inquired, "Skye, if you're agreeable, would you be willing to provide a few blood samples for Dr. Banner to examine? I promise nothing invasive and we'll ensure they are kept off all S.H.I.E.L.D. records for your protection.

Skye nodded through gritted teeth, although her fingers tightened around the arms of the chair as she simply stared straight ahead, refusing to meet the gazes of anyone in the room.

She started slightly as she felt fingertips caress the side of her hand, and when she glanced up she found Ward staring at her with an irritated expression darkening his features.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

He shot an angry glare at Coulson that more than adequately revealed his feelings on the matter but the Director remained patiently still, awaiting Skye's reaction to the proposition. Skye exhaled and wound her fingers through Ward's as she contemplated their options. Or her options, to be more exact.

"No... I do have to do this," she stilled herself, her thoughts momentarily drifting to the one other option S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed. "What's the other option, huh? Raina? You think Raina's gonna voluntarily help S.H.I.E.L.D. out? And so then what? We just take it from her against her will?"

"'I'd be more than okay with that," May said at the mention of the unstable and arguably insane Inhuman.

"Well I wouldn't," Skye deflected, lowering her gaze to the table top before she added quietly, "I'll do it. It's just a blood sample and... this is gonna save lives, right?"

"Absolutely," Simmons agreed, her gratitude conveyed in her tone.

"Thank you," Coulson said sincerely, his eyes locking with Skye's as he attempted to flash her a smile, which did nothing to mask the worry still clouding his features.

"Hopefully once Dr. Banner has a sample of your blood, he can begin working on an antidote, which should render this despicable new weapon both undesirable and unusable," Simmons continued. Skye only nodded in response.

"That's all well and good, but what about the diviner and the part Medcore has had to play in all this?" Hunter interjected, his gaze sweeping the room, "we can't just leave them with that kind of tech. Surely we should be looking at shutting them down?"

"Indeed," Coulson replied, nodding at Jemma to signify that she could leave the briefing and begin setting up the lab for taking Skye's blood samples, "once we have an antidote in place, we'll evaluate our next move, but we'll certainly be looking to find enough incriminating evidence to shut down Medcore permanently and put Jacqueline Ward away for a very long time."

Skye frowned as a sudden vibrating in the pocket of her jeans made her start, and she fumbled to remove her cell phone as it hummed in her hand.

"Skye? You uh... you want to let that go to voicemail?" Coulson asked, eyebrows raised as he stared pointedly at the phone in her hand, "we're kind of in the middle of something here."

"I don't recognise the number. I mean... all of my friends are in this room. Literally, in this room." Skye glanced at the phone askance, which continued to thrum against her palm.

"Maybe you should answer it," May directed, drumming the tip of a pen against a wad of files that sat in front of her on the table.

Swiping her finger across the 'connect' button, Skye raised the phone to her ear and offered an uncertain greeting. Ward noted the startled look in her eyes as the caller announced themselves, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent hurriedly sought out Coulson's face.

"Jacqueline?" Skye stated, as if not believing who appeared to be on the other end of the line. "What the hell do you want? And how did you get this number?"

"I have my sources," the woman replied, her amusement obvious in her voice, "it's just a fleeting call from my home address, don't bother trying to trace it, it's 429 Lawrence Street."

"Why are you telling me that?" Skye demanded, staring askance at the phone as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Because I'm inviting you to dinner," Jacqueline continued, seemingly unperturbed by Skye's hostile tone. She added as an afterthought, "Of course you can bring Grant too. Consider it a family event."

"Why in the hell would I do that?" said Skye incredulously, swatting her hand at Ward's face as he attempted to grab for the cell, his eyes narrowed in fury.

There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line and then a pause, during which Skye hazarded a glance at her boyfriend, who looked just about ready to suit up and launch a one man offensive against his own sister in that very moment. Skye offered him a reassuring smile, reaching out and patting his knee with her free hand.

"We have a lot to talk about, Skye," Jacqueline continued almost softly, "you, me... and even Grant. It's been too long and... well, there are things I feel he should know."

"The fact you want my blood aside," Skye scoffed, rolling her eyes and slumping back in her seat, her arms automatically crossing over her abdomen to demonstrate her irritation.

Jacqueline paused and Skye could almost hear the predatory, toothy smile on her face.

"Let's not worry about that right now. There are other matters that need addressing and I think it's high time Grant learned the truth... about his heritage. We should all know where we really come from; I'm sure you of all people understand."

Ward felt the eyes of the team boring into him, and yet he simply shrugged in equal confusion, having no idea as to what Jacqueline was referring to.

"You're so full of shit, you know that, right?" Skye barked, unable to mask her hostility. She glanced up at Grant, hoping he might have some idea as to what his older sister alluded to. His blank and slightly ruffled expression told her immediately that he did not.

"Dinner, 8pm. Don't bother wearing a wire and no weapons. I want this to be a civilised, family affair," Jacqueline directed, shortly before the call was unceremoniously disconnected, leaving Skye listening to the dialling tone.

The room fell silent as each of the agents attempted to process and digest what had just happened. After only a few seconds had elapsed, Hunter raised his hand, beaming as Coulson's eyes fell upon him.

"So, are they going then?" he inquired, indicating Grant and Skye with a slight nod of his head, "or do we think dear big sis is planning on poisoning the pate?"

Skye frowned at the other agent, shaking her head at him to demonstrate her annoyance, although all he offered by way of apology was a shrug.

"No, there's no way," Grant stated, resolve evident in his voice and the set of his lips. "This is a set up and we all know that. There's no way we're going to gift wrap and deliver ourselves to her doorstep. I don't care what she claims she has to tell me."

Skye frowned and peered at Ward, gnawing her bottom lip a little before she pressed, "You're not even a little curious? I mean, so far, she has been kind of honest with us; about wanting my blood, what it was for, and even where she lives. Maybe she really does have something to tell you."

"I don't care," Ward bit back, his temper obviously beginning to fray as he grimaced and slouched in his chair.

"But I do," Coulson interjected, the look he bestowed upon a surprised Ward being almost apologetic. "Skye's right. Your sister..."

"Don't call her that," Grant snapped, his nostrils flaring, "that witch is not my sister."

"Ms. Ward has been surprisingly honest with us up until this point," Coulson continued, choosing to ignore Ward's outburst, "we have no reason to believe that she's lying on this matter either."

"Except for the fact she's the villain in this piece," Ward growled, casting a dark glare around the room as he added, "or had we all forgotten that?"

Coulson shook his head slowly, attempting to placate the Specialist as best as he could given the circumstances.

"Nobody's forgotten that, Grant. I promise. But..."

"We need to know what she's hiding," Skye filled in, "and... the only way to do that is to go along with whatever twisted little game it is she's playing."

"Skye, no," Grant said firmly, "you don't know Jacqueline like I do. If anything happened to you, I..."

Hunter shot him a vaguely sympathetic glance, and FitzSimmons managed expressions they hoped were interpreted as supportive.

"Tough call, mate," Fitz grimaced, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the arms of his chair.

"Jacqueline needs me, remember? She's not going to hurt me," Skye reasoned, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. Given the stories she'd heard from Grant about his sister's previous behaviour, she couldn't be sure on any score as to what the Medcore executive was truly up to. Ward sighed resolutely, turning in his seat and placing his hand tenderly against her cheek. Coulson cleared his throat and averted his gaze as the couple appeared to need a few moments to themselves, which was a near impossibility given that the eyes of the team were upon them.

"We have to go, Grant. Peoples' lives are at stake. If we don't stop this thing, imagine how many people could die."

"I just... I don't want you to be one of them," Grant murmured, his eyes growing dark and stormy as he peered at his girlfriend, who leaned into his touch and sighed.

"I won't be, that much I can promise you," she stated with more confidence than Grant felt was truly appropriate.

For several seconds, nobody moved or dared so much as breath as the two agents held each other under the weight of such intense stares that they were uncomfortable to behold. Finally, with resignation present in the slump of his shoulders, Grant ducked his head.

"Okay," he muttered, sounding very much as though he were speaking through gritted teeth, "I'll go... We'll go."

Reaching for his hand, Skye forced a characteristically buoyant smile, and she squeezed his fingers as they grasped at her to offer further reassurance.

The next hour passed in a blur of surveillance intel., background information, and numerous contingency plans for the mysterious evening ahead. Yet for all of the assurances and support his colleagues offered, and his girlfriend's affectionate glances, Ward had the distinct and unyielding sense that things were about to go very, very wrong.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Grip tightening around the wine bottle clutched in his hand, Grant allowed himself to be led up the pathway of the surprisingly modest four bedroom family home. Given that Jacqueline had no family of her own to speak of, it seemed a peculiar choice of abode, but Ward had simply assumed that she favoured the space. The front door of the townhouse was painted a cheery shade of red and a floral wreath hung in the centre just above a brass knocker that was shaped like a wide eyed owl. From the cobblestones that formed the path to the white stained wooden window frames and the tall rose bushes dominating the yard, the scene was an oddly picturesque and unremarkable one. However, that particular notion was dashed almost immediately by the presence of the eight foot solid brick wall surrounding the property, the video surveillance equipment affixed to each corner of the house, and the numerous signs that warned dogs were on patrol, although Grant had seen and heard little to indicate this was true.

Ward's already dour expression darkened further as Skye all but pulled him along, her low heels clacking against the cobbles as she made for the front door with determination. She could feel Grant's muscles tensing and coiling beneath the gentle palm she had laid on his forearm, and she knew that it was taking every last ounce of resolve the Specialist could muster to prevent himself from turning around and walking away, back to the waiting unmarked S.H.I.E.L.D. armoured car that Coulson had loaned them for the evening.

Jacqueline's telephone call had been closely followed by a text message, which had reiterated the address and specified not only a time frame but also a dress code, much to Grant's intense annoyance. He had railed petulantly against the black tie suit that Skye had forced him into, although he had complied in the end if only because he knew that the situation was no less difficult and bizarre for Skye than it was for him.

"Ready?" Skye murmured, her fingertips brushing the sleeve of Grant's jacket as she peered up into his eyes, concerned smile in place.

"Is there any answer I can give to that question that will end in us turning around and getting the hell out of here?" Grant demanded, meeting Skye's gaze with a deep sigh. Frowning, Skye opened her mouth to respond but found herself instantaneously silenced by the front door swinging open, revealing Jacqueline standing on the threshold of the open porch with her hair piled high on the top of her head and a black pant suit hugging her figure.

"You brought wine!" she cooed without sparing a more formal greeting, a chuckle escaping her red rouged lips as she added, "that's practically civilised, Grant."

"It's for us," he barked, his tone and demeanour as openly hostile as the other, "it's the only way we could be sure you wouldn't try to poison us."

"We considered packing sandwiches," Skye confirmed, her lips curled disdainfully as she appraised their host, who seemed only inherently amused by her guests' accusations.

"Now, Grant... must you always be so suspicious?"

Jacqueline rolled her eyes, stepping back and ushering the couple into the hallway. Casting a glance out at the street beyond the wrought iron gate set in her wall, her eyes darted to the line of cars parked outside the neighbouring homes - one or more she assumed belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Where my family are concerned? Always," Ward retorted, keeping his hand firmly enclosed around Skye's as they exchanged reassuring glances before they took in their surroundings with a distinct sense of mutual unease.

"Well, I'll find you two some glasses and then perhaps we can talk this whole mess through. I'm not the monster you think I am, Skye. I hope you'll be kind enough to let me prove myself to you... just like you did Grant."

"Don't push your luck." Skye arched a dark eyebrow, noting from out of the corner of her eye that Grant's jaw had set again, likely a response to yet another barb unleashed by his sibling. Swanning toward the lounge, Jacqueline beckoned the couple forwards and gestured to the enormous leather couch that had been set pride of place in the centre of the room.

"Please, take a seat."

"I'd rather stand," Grant snapped, his gaze sweeping the couch quickly and carefully as Skye settled herself against the cushions and he took up a watchful position standing by her elbow.

Jacqueline smirked and gave a tiny shrug before disappearing into the hallway once again.

"Calm down, Grant," Skye warned, extending her arm and moving to capture Ward's hand in her own. He obliged her searching fingers without a word, his eyes trained on the surface of the glass coffee table where he had set the bottle of wine.

Removing his cell phone from the pocket of his dress pants, Ward peered back out toward the hall whilst he brushed the pad of his thumb across the screen and held the device out at arm's length. A brief scan of the room informed him that there were no cameras or listening devices hidden in the vicinity, and he slipped the modified cell back into his pocket before finally consenting to settle beside his girlfriend.

"Room's clean," he conveyed, not just for Skye's benefit, but for the edification of those listening through the comms. device tucked in his ear. Skye offered a weak smile, noting how Grant's dark eyes darted around the room in a frantic manner, and she knew that he was searching out potential exits, threats, and various other points of interest that could only occur to the mind of a Specialist.

"So..." Jacqueline drawled, holding out two cut crystal glasses toward Skye with one hand whilst she balanced her own glass of champagne in the other. Skye tried not to recoil as she accepted the offered wine flutes and Jacqueline's icy fingertips brushed the back of her palm, sending a shiver coursing down her spine.

"What do you want, Jacqueline?" Ward demanded, watching as Skye placed the glasses on top of the table and made no move to open the wine bottle standing beside them.

"To talk," Jacqueline countered, taking a sip of her drink as she skimmed her eyes over Ward in a contemplative manner that made Skye's blood run cold. She allowed silence to dominate the room for only a few moments.

"You clean up well, little brother," she continued, cocking her head as she said almost as an afterthought, "you know, you look so much like your father."

Skye offered the glass she had poured to Ward but he smiled thinly at her before shaking his head, and she knew that he was concentrating on maintaining a clear thought process. Shrugging, Skye raised the glass to her lips and drank deeply. Usually she favoured a sweeter, white wine but given the situation at hand, she would take what she could get. She figured that Jacqueline Ward was easily the kind of person whose company was best endured with the help of alcohol.

"I didn't come here to talk about our parents," Grant retaliated, scowling at his sister, who appeared to be concentrating on the contents of her glass, which she drained in two gulps.

Letting out a snicker, Jacqueline's gaze flashed up to Grant's face and her smile grew predatory, "Oh Grant, you never were one to intercept subtle innuendo. It amazes me that you ever managed to become a spy."

Leaning forward in his seat, Ward rested his elbows on his knees and decided to take the bait clearly being used to draw him in to the conversation. Releasing a sigh that was intended to convey his boredom, Ward crooked a dark eyebrow.

Clasping his hands together in his lap, he shrugged as he spoke, "I look like my father... As in, not our father. You think it'd break my heart to suddenly be removed from 50% of your insidious gene pool?"

He laughed in genuine mirth and Skye's wide eyed gaze flitted between the brother and sister, her glass raised to her lips but never quite reaching her mouth.

"You don't believe me," Jacqueline stated, a grin curling her lips up as she placed her champagne flute on the table beside her and exhaled a slow breath.

"I don't believe you," Grant repeated pointedly, "I don't believe anything that comes out of your mouth. I learned that when I was in kindergarten. I am curious though... what this whole charade is about."

Jacqueline shrugged, her lips pursed in a display of very real annoyance.

"I just thought you might like to know the truth," she replied, adding with a smirk, "and I'd be lying, I suppose, if I didn't say I had hoped you'd be rather more cut up about it than this."

Ward guffawed this time, the uncharacteristic gesture causing Skye to jump and almost slosh wine onto the couch.

"Why would I be? The whole family tortured me from the moment I was old enough to tie my shoelaces," he bit back, a flash of anger momentarily present in his eyes before he managed to check his emotions. He settled back against the couch cushions and crossed his legs, almost as though pretending his outburst had not occurred in the first place.

"I don't know, I guess I thought the idea of what could have been might have proven just a little... Well, for want of a better word... Sad," Jacqueline stated, all traces of her amusement having dissipated. Her voice was oddly sombre and hushed as she added, "He was Mother's bodyguard; ironic, I know, as it seems he took that title a little too literally. Former naval special forces, I believe. Father made many enemies in the early years, and... Well, your father was quite the soldier."

Ward's jaw locked and he stared down at the ground, barely flinching when Skye slid her palm over the back of his hand in an attempt at silent reassurance.

"Really?!" he drawled, although having to strive a little harder to sound bored.

"Oh yes, you can check with Father's lawyer, he dealt with all of the... nastiness after Mother was found out."

Lifting her glass up and refilling it with champagne, Jacqueline narrowed her eyes as she tried to recall the details of the stories Christian had relayed to her.

"I think his name was Jack something. Tall, handsome... A true patriot. Purple heart, congressional medal of honour. Something of a hero, I'm led to believe, and of course Father was away a lot so this dashing young man caught our mother's eye. And you, dear brother, were the rather unfortunate result."

Grant's head whipped up and for a moment, Skye thought he was poised to break his composure once again, especially when she felt the muscles in his leg twitch beneath her palm. However, much to her surprise, Grant offered his sister an amused smile.

"I have to say I'm impressed, Jacqueline," he stated, his tone conversational and not belaying a hint of the tension that was palpable in the room, "you've done your research. Trying to psych out the person you view as the bigger threat through emotional manipulation? That's smart."

Jacqueline only returned the smile, although there was something in her expression that caused Skye to pause; almost a hint of truth behind the conceding bow of her head that she awarded Grant before she spoke again.

"Believe what you will, Grant. Lord knows I can't stop you," she replied, beginning to circle her finger along the rim of her glass, which was half empty once again.

Nodding her head toward the table beside Skye, the woman fixed her gaze onto the file laid on the polished glass surface.

"Skye... if you would be so kind?"

Jacqueline watched as the young woman momentarily faltered, looking up first at her boyfriend and then back down to the file. Placing her wine glass down with a sudden urgency to her movements, Skye snatched up the file and opened it. A photograph fell instantly into her lap - an image of a dark, haired, incredibly handsome man posed in military uniform. A row of medals was tacked proudly to his chest, commanding both Skye's attention and respect, but it was the familiar line of his jaw and his dark whiskey coloured eyes that made her breath catch in her chest.

"The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?" Jacqueline grinned, displaying a row of gleaming, white teeth. "You can hardly blame Father for the way he acted around you. Imagine having to live with a constant reminder of your wife's infidelity?"

Ward stole a glance at the photograph and was immediately taken aback by the likeness between himself and the young Navy SEAL. His thoughts weren't permitted to dwell long, however, as Jacqueline continued.

"He saw you once; he had the nerve to come to the house and try to persuade Mother to leave with him. He thought she loved him..." she scoffed at the very idea, a sneer contorting her previous smile, "of course he didn't realise that our mother loved money and power more than anything else; more than him, more than any of us. She'd never have left Father and he didn't want the scandal getting out, so Jack was... taken care of. Nobody ever knew about Mother's little indiscretion. Sad, really. Your father desperately wanted to raise his son, and the father you knew hated your very existence. Still... we can't dwell on the past. Not when the future holds so many possibilities."

Ward remained frozen, not a single muscle in his body so much as twitching. As far as Skye could tell, he was barely breathing, and she realised that he was working hard to compartmentalise his feelings as quickly as his sister was launching new curve balls at him.

"Dinner..." Skye spluttered, feeling immediately compelled to do something but not knowing exactly what she could do to help Grant recover his composure, "you said we were here for dinner. You gonna feed us or do we have to spend all night on the couch trading stories about our desolate childhoods cos, let me tell you, that's going to take a while."

Jacqueline let out a peal of laughter and her eyes gleamed as she leaned forward to inspect Skye closely.

"I like you, Skye," she stated, emphasising the relevant word with visible pleasure. "Dinner shouldn't be much longer. Steffan is an excellent chef. Let's wait in the dining room, shall we? Maybe I can dig out a bag of chips whilst we wait for the hors d'oeuvres."

Her mocking was not lost on the young hacker, and Skye responded in kind with a sneer.

"Really wish I could say the same," Skye retorted. At her side, Ward sat perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the image of the man he held in an admirably calm hand. Jacqueline laughed again and the sound made Skye shudder in revulsion. The older woman ran a hand through the few tendrils of hair that had escaped their bun and cocked her head as she surveyed the couple.

"I admire your loyalty, Skye, I really do. Both to my brother and to S.H.I.E.L.D., although I fear perhaps both are misplaced."

Skye narrowed her eyes dangerously and forced what she hoped was a similarly confident smile.

"My loyalties are exactly where they should be, with the people I care about. Let's just get down to it, Jacqueline. What do you want, huh? Do you think you can try to buy me after your last sales pitch failed? And... it sucked by the way."

Jacqueline shrugged and a dangerous glint sparked to life within her eyes.

"I think there's plenty of time to discuss my proposal over the appetisers. And... not everything's about money, Skye. Sometimes, you have to play to people's weaknesses as well as their strengths."

Skye folded her arms across her chest and shot her adversary a withering look.

"Oh yeah? And what are my weaknesses?"

Jacqueline pursed her lips, as if debating the question for only a second. She responded with an absent shrug.

"My little brother."

Ward dropped the file onto the table, his expression unreadable, and he stood almost in the same instant as Skye climbed to her feet.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jacqueline warned, "you wouldn't want to risk spreading this nasty infection now, would you?"

Skye froze, her hand clenching involuntarily into a fist at her side as she stared at the other woman with eyes wide as saucers.

"What?" she choked out, recovering her voice a little through her unease as she added, "what the hell are you talking about?"

Jacqueline merely dropped back down into the armchair she had previously occupied, her head lolling back languidly as she surveyed her brother and his girlfriend.

"You know, one of the main problems with an air born virus is the unpredictability. You can never be sure you'll infect a specific target, and an errant cough or sneeze at an inopportune moment means that you could well start a pandemic when you simply wanted to wipe out the passengers in a single limo," Jacqueline stated offhandedly as she examined her nails. "In short, it's a wholly ineffective means of transmission when we're talking about biological weaponry. Too many variables to consider versus so little control."

"You're insane... You're totally, fucking insane," Skye stated, her tone more wondrous at the prospect than accusatory. Jacqueline merely bowed her head.

"From the moment my dear little Dieter dropped that Diviner onto my desk, I knew that with it I would be capable of wonderful things," she continued, her excitement visibly escalating as her eyes flashed and her lips twitched into a smile, "to manufacture a virus that is communicable purely through skin on skin contact is no easy feat. I think this must be what it feels like to give birth, to give life to something. Once everything else was in place, all we needed was a suitable test location and our patient X, and the rest is history. Or at least, it will be."

Noting the horrified expressions on the couple's faces, Jacqueline explained, "You see, Skye, I need your blood to manufacture an antidote. Buyers require that reassurance. I realised that you couldn't be bought and you more than adequately displayed your disdain for me thanks to your blind and - if I might say - wholly misguided love for my brother. Well, half-brother."

"And what about you?" Ward challenged, feeling his heart-rate begin to thunder in his ears - a sensation he was not at all familiar with. "You'd risk infecting yourself? I don't buy that. You're all about self-preservation, Jacqueline. You always have been."

"Hmmm," she nodded in agreement, "well that's the thing, Grant. I know Skye would happily watch me die... and of course she has a natural immunity to the virus being as both she and it are not entirely of our world, so she'll get to watch every excruciating little detail. But I know that she'd never let you die. I've seen the way she looks at you. You're my insurance policy."

"You bitch," Skye seethed, hearing a commotion through her ear-piece as Coulson began barking a series of commands and all hell apparently broke loose in the S.H.I.E.L.D. control centre.

"I'm persuasive," Jacqueline countered, suddenly pressing her hand to her forehead, "is it warm in here? Or perhaps it's the beginning of the fever. That's usually one of the first symptoms."

"Skye, get out of here," Ward commanded, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Jacqueline, who crossed her legs and sunk further into the cushions of her chair as she met her brother's gaze. The hostility passing between the estranged siblings with a single gaze was frightening and Skye sidled closer to Ward, yearning to adopt a more protective stance since he had become compromised. When Jacqueline ruptured the silence with a high, manic giggle, something inside Skye snapped.

"No way in hell is that going to happen," Skye retorted. She skirted around the coffee table in three strides and had yanked Jacqueline out of her seat by her collar before the woman had even realised what was happening.

However, instead of the trace of fear Skye had hoped for, she was met by only amusement reflected in the other woman's expression.

"You're willing to die for this? For money and power? What good are those things when you're dead?" Skye snarled, her fingers tightening around the material she gripped. She shook the woman for good measure, somewhat surprised herself by her own display of strength, although the adrenaline pumping through her veins was no doubt aiding her.

"I have more than enough of both of those already," Jacqueline rasped, not even bothering to attempt to pry Skye's hands from her throat, "what I want cannot be bought... It has to be earned."

"And what is that?" demanded Skye, her lip curled into disbelieving disgust.

"Recognition," Grant interjected quietly and in a flat tone, "all her work so far, the cures, the seminars... She wants to make history. Immortalise her own name, just like Arnim Zola and Dr. List."

"Both great men by all accounts," Jacqueline replied without missing a beat. Disgusted, Skye allowed her grip to slacken and she pushed the taller woman back into her seat with little effort.

Skye stared down at Jacqueline askance, hardly able to believe the truly deranged plot unravelling around them. She felt Ward's hand land urgently on her shoulder and she turned to face him with an expression that betrayed her guilt, alongside her utter devastation.

"Ah, now she realises," Jacqueline observed, "she's the carrier... quite Shakespearian, really."

"The wine glass," Skye said quietly, closing her eyes against the tears she refused to allow to betray her. Given the urgency of the situation and her building rage, there was no way she was going to allow Jacqueline Ward the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"Skye... get out of here," Ward repeated, his fingertips landing on her cheek, and he caressed her skin tenderly, lifting her chin so she was forced to hold his gaze. "Please!"

She shook her head stubbornly, placing her hand over his and leaning into his touch. She felt her own stomach clench painfully as she realised that it was the simple brush of her own fingertips against Grant's skin that had sealed his fate where she had only ever intended to provide him with comfort. There was something undeniably cruel about the ploy and, even though Skye had long since given up being surprised by the lengths to which Hydra would go to achieve their goals, she found herself stunned by the callousness being displayed by Grant's own sister.

"No. I'm not leaving. I... I did this to you. I..." she faltered, a wave of nausea overcoming her at the very idea.

"None of this is on you," Ward reiterated firmly, leaning forward and momentarily resting his forehead against Skye's. She felt her own heartbeat stutter as their skin touched and she found that Grant was beginning to radiate an alarming degree of heat.

"I don't see how you think you can win this," Skye hissed, wheeling around to face Jacqueline, whose own pallor had begun to take on a kind of ashen hue that hinted that her immune system was being rapidly overwhelmed by the virus created by her hand.

"We have S.H.I.E.L.D. labs working on a cure right now but there is nothing and nobody on this earth that could make us share it with you," Skye vowed, her chin tilting defiantly. Jacqueline only chortled, pressing one hand to her stomach as it began to churn unpleasantly, although it seemed to have little effect on her jubilant mood.

"And how far away are they from a cure, Skye? Hours, days, months? Even your best and brightest have never seen anything like this before, and they can't possibly understand its power with the handful of base notes your team scavenged," Jacqueline taunted, shaking her head as she continued, "that was an Oscar winning performance, by the way. Really helped to break up the working day."

"Glad I amused you," barked Skye, her gaze ticking to Ward as he appeared to shift his weight rather unsteadily at her side, beads of perspiration beginning to dot his brow.

"They can't figure it out in time, Skye, you must know that," Jacqueline said reasonably, leaning forwards towards the other woman with an almost sympathetic half smile, "our labs have every single component in place, ready to go, whenever you are. All we lack is the blood of an unchanged Inhuman, such as yourself. I can personally guarantee that if you help us, we'll help Grant."

Shaking her head furiously, Skye snatched up her purse and slid her arm through Ward's. She tried to lead him towards the door, alarmed when he seemed to stumble with just the gentlest of tugs.

"We're getting out of here," Skye stated, her breath catching as Ward clutched at his chest and winced. He seemed to be struggling to draw breathe and he clawed at his neck in order to loosen the tie that Skye had fixed in place for him less than an hour beforehand.

"Skye..." he panted, perspiration beading his forehead as his face took on an unhealthily blue shade that Skye knew indicated he wasn't getting enough Oxygen. "Just go... Coulson... Coulson will have an extraction team en route already. Please... get out of here."

"No, we're leaving together," she countered, trying to lead him toward the hallway as Jacqueline began coughing furiously. Gagging against the back of her hand, the woman blanched as she saw bright red blood spatter across her skin.

"He's got about an hour, tops. Think about it. You leave this house, he dies."

"But just in case you need any further persuasion..." Jacqueline began and, as if on cue, five Hydra agents crowded into the hall, handguns drawn and trained on the couple. As though thoroughly prepared for the situation, they were covered from head to toe in black tactical gear, even possessing balaclavas and thick gloves so that not a single inch of skin was to be exposed.

"I swear to God, if you don't call off your goons and get out of my way, I will kill you myself," Skye growled, spinning around to face Jacqueline, who had risen to her feet and was supporting herself by leaning against the wall. Her fingertips left bloody prints on the coffee coloured paper and Skye looked away quickly as she realised that Grant would very soon begin to deteriorate as his sister was. The woman could only be minutes ahead of Grant in terms of exposure to the virus but it appeared to be burning through her system at an astonishing rate.

"Skye, stay calm and sit tight, we're trying to get a hold of Banner and see how much progress he's made with the antidote, then we'll talk about getting you two out of there," Coulson said calmly, his voice echoing in her ear.

Swallowing hard, Skye shot a glance at Grant, feeling the colour drain from her cheeks as she watched a thin trickle of blood begin to drip from his left nostril. He barely seemed to possess the strength to wipe it away with the back of his free hand; the one that was not fastened tightly onto her arm.

From a closed doorway behind the five Hydra operatives, a smaller, more diminutive figure stepped forward. The hazmat suit he was clad in indicated to Skye that he was more than simply a little paranoid, and likely instead a major player who knew only too well what the artificial alien virus was capable of.

"We do not have time for any more negotiations," the man barked, and Skye clearly detected the thick German accent even from beneath his mask. Jacqueline heaved a crackling sigh that seemed to rattle her whole chest, and when she coughed heartily a second later, a splash of blood tainted her previously perfect teeth.

"Fine."

Gripping the edge of the couch, Jacqueline staggered forward, a look of ill intent in her eyes. She failed to notice the subtle movements of her brother, who slid his hand into his back pocket and gritted his teeth in order to contain the cough he knew would only draw attention to him, thus giving him away. Ward's hand closed around the handle of the blade just as Jacqueline stumbled toward his girlfriend, and a smile of understanding passed between his sister and the Hydra scientist.

Calmly and yet with clear delight, the man purred, "We'll just have to take what we need."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

The second that the Hydra agent's gloved hand grasped her elbow, Skye whirled around and stamped on his insole before bringing her opposing elbow backwards and ramming it into his chin. The man let out a cry of pain and backed up a few paces, only for one of his companions to step forward, wildly swinging at Skye with both fists.

She side stepped the blow with relative ease but found herself unable to retaliate with the kick she might have favoured had her cocktail dress not prevented her from raising her leg.

"Give it up, Skye," Jacqueline called out, although she had begun to lean perhaps even more heavily against the wall for support.

"You can't fight us all, darling," Dr. Schaeffer chuckled, the visor in his hazmat suit steaming up as his breath was expelled in a cloud.

During the struggle, it seemed nobody had been watching the S.H.I.E.L.D. Specialist, and it was with a sudden intake of air that the doctor found a firm hand around his neck, and the unmistakable feel of a blade pressed to his jugular.

"Call your men off or I slit your throat," Ward snarled, glancing up with barely concealed pleasure to note the horrified look on Jacqueline's face and the wary stares of the retreating Hydra agents.

"All it takes is one puncture to this suit..." Ward growled, wincing as he wheezed and pain seized his chest. His grip remained sure and threatening, and he towered over the scientist with a thoroughly menacing stance.

"Get back!" Jacqueline called out, doubling over as her exertion sparked a coughing fit, and she swatted at the air to indicate that their henchmen were to leave Skye alone. A persistent vibration in her purse prompted Skye to retrieve her cell phone, and she quickly withdrew her wide eyed gaze from the stand-off taking place in order to read the message on the screen.

'Extraction team arriving in 5. Antidote in the bag. Stay calm.'

"Now, let's not be hasty," Dr. Schaeffer stated, holding both hands up before him in a placating gesture, "if you were to kill me, how would you hope to obtain the antidote, especially with your sister indisposed?"

Jacqueline shot her comrade a dark look in response to his comment but Grant stood unflinching with his blade brandished.

"You, shut up," Skye demanded, briefly facing the doctor before then turning to the Hydra operatives, "and you, put your weapons down on the floor, slide them slowly this way and then stand against the wall with your hands where I can see them."

With reluctance, the Hydra guards complied, no doubt shooting Skye furious looks beneath their balaclavas. She stooped down and gathered their discarded hand guns, making quick work of discharging the clips from all but one of the weapons before she rose to her feet again.

"You're making a huge mistake," Jacqueline muttered, her body visibly sagging as the poison continued to rage in her system.

"If you talk again, I will shoot you in the face," Skye promised, her tone low and carrying the weight of her threat.

"You would let him die?" Dr. Schaeffer inquired, a smirk twitching at his lips as he shook his head in apparent confusion. "I see we overestimated your feelings."

Skye shot Ward a significant glance, noting that his movements were uncharacteristically clumsy as he forced the Hydra scientist still in his grasp to his knees with a move that would usually not have caused the Specialist to bat an eyelid.

"You know shit," Skye retorted defiantly, her heart rate climbing rapidly as she noticed Jacqueline clutching her chest, her breathing becoming alarmingly audible. She knew Ward had perhaps only a little longer before he too succumbed to the virulent infection.

"Skye, get out of here," Ward directed, frowning as he felt a splash of moisture on his lip; brushing the back of his hand across his mouth, he took in the sight of a smear of bright red blood staining his skin.

"Uh-huh, not happening... you and I are gonna walk out of here together. Okay?" she demanded, and the desperate tone in her voice could leave him no other choice but to nod in agreement.

"If we don't get the blood sample, he will die... that is a certainty," Schaeffer spoke up, lifting his head to hold Skye's gaze to ensure she was heeding his warning. "The work has already been done... the blood is the final yet most important ingredient in the cure. His fate... his fate rests with you."

"And it's just incredibly convenient for you that my blood also gives you the green light to start selling your weapon of mass destruction to the highest bidders," Skye seethed, shaking her head with unshed tears gleaming in her eyes as she glared at the doctor. The man only shrugged as best he could with the blade of a knife pressed against his exposed throat.

"Nothing personal," he stated, "merely business."

"Killing thousands of innocent people is business to you?" Skye yelled, her anger building as time ticked on, bringing them closer and closer to the point at which both of the Ward siblings' bodies could take no more.

"Not all of those people you so readily defend are innocent," the doctor replied, tipping his head as he inquired flatly, "would you really trade their lives for that of the man you love?"

Skye shook her head, levelling her gaze directly at the doctor's face, "No. We'll save him, just like we'll save all of the others. Your weapon? It's not gonna sell so well."

The doctor winced as his neck became stiff and sore, and he struggled against Ward's weakening grip.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has the cure?" His cock-sure smile was fading and as he considered the possibility behind the former hacker's words, he realised their plan was in danger of backfiring horribly.

"I won't give my blood to you Nazis, but S.H.I.E.L.D.? They already have it," she replied, shrugging as if to emphasize her point. "Tell me, last time you guys went up against the Avengers, how did that work out for you?"

Dr. Schaeffer's smile melted away and Skye resisted the urge to respond to his dismay with a smirk of her own. She didn't struggle for too long, however, as Ward suddenly doubled over with a hacking cough, the knife clattering from his grasp and blood spraying from his mouth onto the wooden floorboards at his feet. The doctor scrabbled just out of his reach, evidently repulsed, whilst Skye took several steps towards her boyfriend, who was retching and struggling to draw breath.

"Grant!" Skye called, panic washing over her features and causing her voice to tremble.

"Don't just stand there... Move!" Dr. Schaeffer hollered, his eyes narrowed at the Hydra operatives who had yet to move from their positions pressed against the wall. Skye spun around just in time to see a burly black clad figure launch himself at her and she barely had time to fling herself out of the way.

She let out a quiet sound of distress as, from the corner of her eye, she watched Ward drop to the floor, pale and visibly trembling. Only seconds later, Jacqueline made a similar descent, her chin and neck stained crimson with the blood she had coughed up before succumbing to unconsciousness.

Skye attempted to bolt to Grant's side, only to find her path blocked by a guard, who swung a fist at her face with an enraged roar. Skye ducked underneath the blow but was not quite fast enough to avoid the well aimed kick to the back of her knee that a second guard delivered. She crumpled, her knees striking the wooden floorboards hard, and she barely had time to roll onto her back and out of the path of the booted foot aimed at her head.

Skye grunted as she attempted to flip back onto her feet, only to find herself hampered by her constricting dress and heels, but she struggled to her feet nonetheless. She stumbled slightly backwards as the first guard landed a vicious punch to her jaw, which would have sent her sprawling onto her back once again had she not anticipated the move. Before retaliating, however, Skye kicked off her shoes and hastily yanked at the side seam of the dress, only satisfied when the material ripped loudly, freeing her legs.

Yanking her handgun from the holster fastened around her thigh, Skye wasted no time in taking aim at an approaching guard. This time there was no hesitation, and her finger squeezed the trigger with an assured confidence. The man's body fell to the ground as the sound of the bullet entering his hip caused Skye to only briefly pause. Two further guards raced towards her, and with reflexes she didn't know she possessed, she fired off another four successive rounds at the Hydra operatives, relieved to see at least one fall to the ground. His colleague clasped at the fresh bullet wound in his own leg, halting to watch a pool of bright red blood ebb from his counterpart's skull.

With renewed vigour, he raced towards Skye, launching a series of vicious punches that sent her spiralling backwards towards the wall. The gun fell from her grasp, and the breath was knocked out of her chest as her back slammed against the wall. With a grunt of determination, she brought her knee up to meet the crotch of the agent and, as he stumbled away, tears welling in his eyes, she landed a final blow to his face that knocked him unconscious.

"Ward?" she shouted, turning her head to regard the prone figure of her boyfriend, who lay slumped against the stairs, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his lips. He didn't so much as stir at her terrified cry, and as she raced towards him Skye failed to spot an emerging Hydra guard train his gun on her.

The operative's finger squeezed the trigger of the gun, eliciting a soft click from the weapon, but Skye could only turn her head and watch in horror as the bullet sailed towards her. She was crouched at Grant's side, her fingers threaded through his limp hand, and the final thought to crash through her mind was that there were worse places to die than by the side of the man she loved.

Skye barely had time to squeeze her eyes shut in anticipation of the sudden jolt of pain. She was aware of a voice that was not her own calling frantically to the soldier, but she was in such a heightened state of panic and fear that she failed to register just who it belonged to. Holding Grant's hand tight in her own, she simply waited for her fate, acceptance weighing heavy on her chest and making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

When the familiar sting of a bullet piercing her flesh never came, Skye's eyelids fluttered open in surprise.

The body of Dr. Schaeffer lay at an unnatural angle at her feet, his lips contorted in pain as his eyes bulged and a cough released a spatter of blood against the visor of his hazmat suit. Skye stared wide-eyed at the doctor, as he clutched at the seeping bullet wound in his chest and grappled in vain with the zip of the suit.

"We... We need... Her... Alive," he wheezed, a hideous gurgling sound heralding a spew of bright red blood from his lips, "she's... the key."

Ward forced his eyes open, struggling to sit upright at Skye's side as he took in the scene with evident shock clouding his pallid features.

"Skye... Go!" he gritted his teeth as the effort of speaking caused the tightness in his chest to become almost unbearable.

"No. No way," she shook her head, reaching out to caress his cheek before she eyed the remaining three guards with trepidation and climbed to her feet. She could almost sense their unified smirks even through the cumbersome masks they wore, and she found herself bouncing on the balls of her feet as she eyed the soldiers with building fury. The first of the three flew at her without warning and Skye was once again on the defensive, locking her fingers around his wrists and attempting to throw him off balance. He was stronger than she had anticipated, despite being the shorter and slighter of the group, and Skye found herself with her back slammed up against the wall again at alarming speed. The man's hand closed around her neck like a vice, pushing hard against her throat and not only cutting off her air supply but also threatening to crush the smaller bones. Skye struggled to dig her fingernails into the back of his hands, her now bare feet scrabbling against air for purchase on the floor.

"He said we gotta take you alive but he didn't say nothing about conscious," the lackey growled, his patience having clearly frayed as he surveyed the bloody mess Skye had managed to leave his colleagues in.

"Unhand my agent!"

Skye blinked as the Hydra operative froze, his fingers uncurling from around her neck as he felt the barrel of what he wrongly assumed to be a gun, pressed to his temple. Keeping the ICER held firmly in place, Coulson eyed him pointedly from behind his own hazmat visor, and gestured to the floor.

"On the ground, hands behind your head. Nice and slow."

"Coulson!" Skye choked out, relief washing over her almost instantly, only to be replaced by intense fear as she tore her gaze from the three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents now rounding up the few remaining Hydra guards with little resistance. Clad in S.H.I.E.L.D. issue bio-hazard uniforms, Trip and Bobbi restrained the surrendering team, as they worked casting furtive glances toward both of the Ward siblings, who appeared to be in a critical condition.

"Grant?" Skye shouted, dropping to her knees and hauling his semi-conscious form over her knees, her fingers shaking as she pressed them against his neck, only to be met by a sickeningly slow and weak pulse. "We've got to get him out of here!"

"And we will," Coulson assuaged her, affording her a brief but sympathetic look. As more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents began to filter into the hallway, Coulson handed his captive off to Trip, who shot the soldier a glare that conveyed his disgust as he began to fit cuffs around his wrists.

"We need the antidote, right now. We can't wait," Skye continued desperately, her fingers hovering over Ward's cheek, which had lost its usual tanned glow. When nobody made a move to help her with the weight of her boyfriend, Skye directed a dirty look at Coulson, who was watching her with an unreadable expression spread across his features.

"You have the antidote, right?" she demanded, her tone growing cold and uncharacteristically hard. Her jaw tensed and she stared at Coulson with such intensity that he almost flinched.

"Skye, let's get you two into the quarantine van and then we can talk about..." the director began, visibly startling as Skye snarled in response, hot and angry tears beginning to trip her cheeks.

"Tell me you have the antidote, Coulson!" she growled. When the man made no move to respond, she balled her hands into fists and screamed, "Tell me!"

The S.H.I.E.L.D. director paused, releasing a hesitant sigh as he replied, "We don't have it. Banner and his team are still working on it, I..."

He held up his hands as Skye collapsed into a fit of hysterical sobs, immediately hopping to her feet as she began striking out at him with unbridled fury.

"You lying son of a bitch!" she shrieked, hot tears splashing down her cheeks as she grappled with her mentor and pounded her fists against his chest and shoulders. "You sent us in here! You told me we had it! I... I made him come here, he..."

She gulped in air as her guilt made it difficult to breathe.

"I did this to him. You have to help him... Please!" she sobbed, her motions stilling as Coulson embraced her from within the confines of his suit.

Shrugging him off, Skye was once more at Ward's side, trembling hands caressing his cheek and squeezing his lifeless hand in hers as Trip rushed over to the couple, pushing a gurney fitted with an isolation tent.

"Get him inside the tent, and let's get out of here..." Coulson directed, his head jerking up as Morse cleared her throat from where stood over Jacqueline's body.

"What about her?" Bobbi asked, kicking the woman's foot experimentally with the toe of her plastic covered boot. Jacqueline groaned, bubbles of blood and saliva appearing at her lips, and Bobbi grimaced.

"I'll put a bullet in her head right now, just say the word," Skye ground out through her tears, her lips twisted into a bitter frown that seemed odd against the backdrop of her usually gentle features.

"Skye," Coulson warned, shaking his head at the agent, who only glared at him through narrowed eyes. She watched as Trip and another male agent lifted Grant onto the trolley between them, both grunting with the effort, before they began to strap him down and arrange a blanket over his still form.

"She deserves to die," retorted Skye, looking away quickly as Trip began to steer the gurney out of the door, worry and something resembling panic vying for dominance in his expression.

"She comes with us. Take all necessary precautions, she's infected as well," Coulson stated, addressing not only Skye and Bobbi but also the other agents now milling around the hallway. "We can't run the risk of the infection spreading. Let's get her to isolation. If she pulls through, we'll have a comfy cell waiting for her at a maximum security S.H.I.E.L.D. facility."

Managing a briefly apologetic smile, Coulson gestured to Skye as Bobbi appeared at his side, indicating that she was to follow.

"I'm afraid we need to quarantine you too, Skye. Just until we can be sure you're not still a carrier."

Letting the gun slip from her grasp and clatter to the ground, Skye shrugged, desperate to follow Trip out to wherever he had taken Ward.

"Fine by me. I need to be with Ward."

Placing a heavily gloved hand onto her shoulder, the S.H.I.E.L.D. director squeezed her gently. "Let's just get you checked out first, let Simmons observe you for twenty four hours or so, and then we can talk about..."

"NO!" Skye shook her head firmly, "you can't keep me away from him, Coulson. Please!"

She heard him sigh even through the mask of his hazmat suit, but Coulson's mind was made up on the subject.

"Skye..." he began patiently, aware that time was of the essence to complete this extraction and limit the potential danger to his team. "There's procedure and protocol that needs to be followed here."

"I don't give a shit about S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol," she snapped, pushing Bobbi back as the older woman attempted to gently grasp the top of her arm and usher her towards the door. Taking a step backwards, Bobbi raised both hands in a placating gesture, her eyes on Skye at all times as though she was waiting for her to make a break for the doorway.

"Get out of my way," Skye growled through her tears, her voice an unrecognisable snarl as she levelled her temper at Bobbi, who only shook her head ruefully.

"Skye, you know I can't do that," Bobbi soothed, reaching out a hand again to grasp Skye's elbow.

"Don't touch me!" Skye yelled, her fury unmistakable as she glared at first Morse and then Coulson, "you lied to me. You told me it would be okay."

First sharing a look, the two agents stepped forwards once again, their intent more than clear to Skye, who was so horrified by all that had been allowed to transpire in Jacqueline Ward's home that evening that she was determined not to stand for any of it.

"I swear to God, Morse, if you touch me again I will break your arm," Skye snapped, rounding on the woman with a previously unseen hostility in her eyes.

"Both of you need to get out of my way," Skye demanded, her gaze ticking to the door as she felt herself overcome with panic and a deep sense of despair. The mortality rate of the virus was so far a hundred percent. There had been no known survivors, and Ward was potentially going to be added to the fatalities. The idea made Skye's stomach dip, and she wanted to retch as a wave of nausea swept over her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bobbi once again advance towards her and, almost on impulse, Skye turned and landed a perfectly aimed punch on the Specialist's jaw. Bobbi reeled from the unexpected attack, her eyes wide as she staggered backwards and tumbled unceremoniously into the coat stand behind her.

"What the hell was that?" Bobbi snarled angrily, unable to ascertain how much damage the blow had caused from behind the plastic bio-hazard suit. Skye shook her wrist out, grimacing at the pain that suddenly stung her knuckles.

"D.C., how could you?" she whispered, shaking her head and blinking rapidly as tears tripped her cheeks. Glancing down at the ground with an expression that almost conveyed genuine sympathy, Coulson averted his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Skye."

However, the young agent had little time to question the source of his remorse as, a moment later, Simmons stepped up behind her and jabbed a needle into the top of her arm. Within moments the sedative began to take effect and with a whimper that barely expressed her disgust and feelings of betrayal, Skye sagged, the biochemist assisting her to the ground with a repentant wince.

"I'm so sorry," Jemma repeated over and over to her friend, even as she hoisted the fallen hacker under the arm and a still irate Bobbi grabbed her other side. Together, they hauled the now unconscious woman out of the town house, and towards the waiting S.H.I.E.L.D. containment vehicle.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Her eyelids fluttered open, but as consciousness washed over her at a maddeningly languid rate, Skye fought against the final vestiges of sleep to urgently pull herself free from her drug induced slumber.

Sitting up hurriedly, she climbed off the metal cot and began to pace the walls of the quarantine holding cell. Her eyes widened in horror as she spied Ward in the next transparent room, a plethora of tubes and machines around him, battling to keep him alive.

Skye pounded her fist on the glass, trying desperately to get the attention of the hazmat suited body she saw tending to her boyfriend. She assumed it would be Simmons, and Skye couldn't help the nagging suspicion that if Jemma was left in charge of Ward's care, she would perhaps not put up such a determined fight to save him.

"Jemma!" Skye yelled, relieved when the Brit turned her head. However, as Coulson strolled uncertainly over towards Skye's room, her relief turned to unbridled anger.

"Skye, calm down, we're doing everything we can to help him," Coulson assured her, sighing as he cast a genuinely concerned eye over the young woman. His tone softened, and he widened his eyes as he added, "Is there anything you need? Can I get you something?"

"I need to be with him," Skye pleaded, wiping clumsily at her cheeks and the fresh onslaught of tears her waking had unleashed.

"If he dies and..." she choked back a sob, "and I can't even say goodbye to him, I will never speak to you again. Please... please let me be with him."

Simmons walked out of the adjoining room and into the decontamination chamber, her eyes never wavering from her best friend, who it seemed was in the throes of panic. As Jemma climbed out of the bio-hazard suit and hurriedly washed her hands, she flashed Skye what she hoped was an understanding smile.

"Sir..." Jemma began, surprising Skye instantly with her sincerity, "it's been two hours. If Skye was infected, it's likely she'd be showing signs by now. Ward's already infected. What harm can it do now? She should... she should be there when he... I mean... Skye needs to be with him."

Surprise colouring his expression as he glanced at Simmons, Coulson sucked in a breath and paused, seeming to deliberate over his choices not only as a director but also as a friend. Hesitantly, he nodded his head at Skye.

"Okay, you win," he stated, voice still soft and soothing, "we'll transfer you across to Ward's isolation chamber, but it means you're in it for the long haul. We can't let you out until..."

"I get it," Skye interjected, striving to inject gratitude into her tone even as she cut off the director's warning, not wanting to hear the end of his sentence. She couldn't bare the possibility that Ward might not make it through this, and refusing to say as much aloud was soothing her fear just a little.

Less than ten minutes later, Skye was seated beside Ward's bed, his hand clasped in hers as she watched the mechanical rise and fall of his chest. Jemma busied herself with administering strange coloured fluids into an IV bag, whilst keeping a watchful eye on her friend, who seemed unable to stem the flow of tears that trickled down her cheeks.

"Tell me the truth. How bad is it? What are his chances?" Skye asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as if asking the question somehow betrayed the man lying in the bed.

Simmons sighed, and Skye noted that the slump of her shoulders was perceptible even through the bio-hazard suit.

"I don't know, Skye. I wish I could tell you that he'll pull through but... we don't know enough about this virus. Banner's completed his work on the antidote and May's bringing it back here. We should have it within the hour. But it's experimental, we have no idea if it will work. It's... it's highly likely that Ward has sustained massive organ damage, and as a scientist, I feel it's highly unlikely the antidote will be able to reverse that damage."

"I'm going to lose him," Skye said quietly, her tone strangely devoid of emotion. She lifted his hand, pressing her face into his palm, and recalling the countless occasions when he had cupped her cheek just so and stared at her with such unwavering devotion that it never failed to make her heart skip a beat. Now her heart was breaking, and there seemed very little that she or anyone else could do about it.

"I'm afraid we simply don't know. Agent Romanoff has been sent into Dr. Schaeffer's labs to retrieve any data on the antidote they were trying to create, and on the virus itself. If we have more information, we can..."

"We don't have time, Jemma," Skye muttered in defeat, "Grant doesn't have time."

Much to Skye's surprise, Simmons stepped forward and laid a gentle but reassuring hand on her shoulder, her gloved thumb rubbing soothing circles over the t shirt Skye wore.

"I know it's difficult, but try to remain positive," she murmured, her eyes drifting to Ward and lingering for a moment longer than was truly necessary. "I believe that just you being here by his side has the potential to do enormous good. Talk to him, let him know we're all waiting for him to get better."

Skye sighed, holding Simmons under her gaze as she inquired softly, "Are we?"

Jemma's lips only curved into a smile, and she nodded her head firmly and resolutely.

"We are," she replied, her tone leaving no room for disagreement. "Now, if you need anything at all, I'll be in the lab. Just push the call button. I'm going to see if there's anything else I can do to help matters."

With a final smile, Jemma turned in the direction of the door, only halting when Skye impulsively called out her name.

"Thank you, for everything," Skye whispered, almost choking on her words as the gravity of Ward's situation weighed down on her, "I know it can't be easy for you to... help him..."

"Skye," Jemma interrupted patiently, her own eyes growing misty as she surveyed the Specialist - the man who had transitioned so quickly from friend to family member to foe, and yet somehow back again, "we still have a lot to talk about, Ward and I... I'm going to hold him to having that conversation, okay?"

Skye nodded, trying her best to force a brief smile, but finding that her heartbreak would not allow it. The soft whooshing sound of the door closing alerted Skye to the fact they were now alone, and she finally allowed herself to drink in the various machines, tubes, and wires that surrounded the young man.

A ventilator tube was taped against his lips, and his left arm was hooked up to an IV line where a plethora of bags hung in wait to be administered. EKG probes were stuck across the tan skin of his chest, where two defibrillator pads lay ready in wait for the unthinkable to occur. Skye watched the beating of his heart on the screen before her, and she squeezed his hand hard, as if trying to will him to wake up, simply open his eyes. But she knew such thoughts were purely fantasy - the kind of thing you saw in movies, where the hero suddenly gasped awake, no worse for wear from the illness or grave accident that had almost claimed them.

Of course Ward was a hero - he always would be to her - but the chances of him coming back to them grew less likely with every passing moment.

"You better wake up, Grant," Skye stated, reaching out and tenderly stroking his forehead; one of the only places she would not disturb some machine, probe, or wire.

"Simmons says she wants to talk to you..." she sniffled, "but between you and me, I still think she wants to kick your ass. You shouldn't underestimate her, you know. She's British, she's... deceptively feisty. We all need you to be okay. I need you..." Her face crumpled as she let her head rest against his shoulder, "The only place I'll ever belong is with you."

Skye sniffed, covering her face with her free hand and scrubbing almost angrily with her fingers at the tears that streaked her cheeks. She must have drifted off to sleep after some time of simply listening to the languid but steady beeping of the monitors, as the next thing she was aware of was the door being flung open and Simmons rushing back inside the cell.

From beneath the visor of her hazmat suit, Skye could see that the scientist's cheeks were flushed and rosy, and a forced yet somewhat hopeful smile was affecting her lips. Straightening up and pushing herself away from the bed, Skye clambering unsteadily to her feet.

"We have the antidote," Simmons declared, although somewhat unnecessarily as Skye had just noticed the vial of clear liquid clutched in the other woman's hand.

"Will it work? I mean, is it safe?" Skye demanded, her eyes ticking to the door as Fitz slipped inside, his own bio-hazard suit seeming cumbersome and awkward on his slight frame.

"I'm afraid we don't really have time to test it out, first," Simmons explained, hurriedly drawing up the precious liquid into a syringe.

"Ward's condition is... critical," she stated diplomatically, adding with a sympathetic glance towards the bed, "this is the best chance he has."

Skye watched Jemma advance towards the Specialist, her eyes still on Skye almost as though she was seeking her permission as Ward's effective next of kin. Bobbing her head, Skye watched as the needle pierced his skin, and slowly but surely each drop of the antidote entered his body.

"Now what?" Skye asked, her grasp on his hand unrelenting as she noted FitzSimmons were standing over the bed, watching their patient intently.

"Now, we wait," Simmons replied, dropping the needle into a sharps box, and glancing up at the monitor to examine Ward's heart rate and blood pressure for changes.

"Right," Skye sighed, tracing her fingers absently across his skin and trying to imagine Banner's hastily created serum flowing through his veins, destroying the alien virus as it swept though his system. The antidote not working was an option the hacker was unwilling to even contemplate.

Skye's eyes darted to their joined hands as she felt Grant's fingers curl around hers, and she gasped as she stared down at his body, distraught to discover that he was not awakening, but was instead in the throes of a seizure.

"Grant!" she yelled, eyes wide in panic as the monitors bleeped in warning, and she noted how his heart rate had dropped dangerously low.

"Jemma, what's happening?" she shouted, glaring with some irritation at both scientists, who stood prone beside the bed, neither moving as they stared at the plummeting figures on the screen that indicated both Ward's heart rate and blood pressure were descending rapidly.

"Do something! You have to help him!"

Fitz frowned as he watched the numbers begin to climb again, only for them to fall rapidly, and repeat the confusing process over and over. Simmons watched the changes in his heart rhythm on the monitor, shaking her head in desperation as she stated, "VF... He's going into cardiac arrest!"

Suddenly grasping Skye by the shoulders, Fitz moved her out of the way just in time for the automated defibrillator to activate, and send a surge of volts through Ward's chest after the annoyingly robotic voice informed them of the impending discharge. Simmons watched the screen desperately, releasing a shaky breath as a normal sinus rhythm appeared before her eyes. Whether it was a response to the drug she had just administered, or the virus savaging Ward's body, she couldn't be sure.

"Get off me!" Skye lashed out at Fitz, her breath catching in her chest as she saw Ward's eyes flash open and he lurched up from the bed, back arching as he seemed to cry out in pain.

"Grant!" she threw herself forwards out of the physicist's grasp, leaning over Ward's body in order to stroke his cheek. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."

Simmons leant closer to Fitz, her expression and tone grave, "I need to get back to the lab, but..."

Fitz nodded glumly, "I'll stay and keep her company."

Ward's eyes barely focussed on Skye's face, his lids sliding closed once again, although he swiped feebly at the tube that snaked down his throat.

"Shhh, just get some rest," Skye whispered, repositioning herself at Ward's bedside and seizing his hand once again, which she laid in her lap. "I'll still be here."

Ward let out a groan, which sounded horribly choked coming from his raw throat, but Skye flashed him a watery smile nonetheless, delighted by even the slightest sliver of cognisance.

"Go back to sleep," she soothed, her fingers curling into Grant's hair as his eyelids finally ceased flickering and he appeared to have succumbed to unconsciousness again.

Sucking in a breath, Skye turned her attention to Fitz, who had dragged an opaque plastic chair over from the corner of the cell and positioned it on the opposite side of the bed. His eyes were fixed on Ward, a curious combination of concern and blossoming relief swirling in his irises.

"He's going to be okay," Skye stated, her voice sounding distinctly more confident now, "he's going to pull through, I know it."

"Course he is," Fitz agreed, perhaps a little too vigorously to be believable. His tone softened further as he added, "Still got all the Matrix movies to make him watch, yet. And after that, I was thinking maybe some Doctor Who... or... or...The X Files. I think he'll like that."

Skye noted the slightly far-away expression in Fitz's eyes, and she smiled at the genuine concern she caught in his demeanour, despite her misery,

"You don't know how much it means to him that you guys are friends again," she began, her eyes settling on Ward's eerily still form. For a man with so much strength and energy, it was strange to see him so helpless.

Fitz shrugged, "Course we are... we're mates, Ward and I. No use dwelling. That's what my nan always said. You just.. you move on. Ward wouldn't hurt us, not on purpose. It was an accident, he was following orders, and... I've made my peace with it."

Skye smiled, staring down at her hand as she wove her fingers between Ward's and stared longingly at his face. She wanted more than anything to be able to talk to him, to hear his voice and feel his lips against hers. It sounded silly but she missed him. He was not only her lover, but her best friend too, and she felt lost without his presence beside her.

"You may be the best man on this entire base," she stated, glancing up pointedly at Fitz. "Thank you. If anybody around here had a reason to hold a grudge, it's you."

Fitz flicked his hand at her and scoffed, "Nah. What good does that do anyone, eh? He suffered enough back then... I wasn't the only one."

Skye inhaled slowly, her gaze following Fitz's as it landed on the tell-tale scar on Ward's wrist; the remnants of the wound he had inflicted on himself when trying to take his own life. Skye's chest heaved, a fresh onslaught of tears seizing her, and she rubbed her eyes furiously, dismayed that her composure was crumpling entirely.

"I said terrible things to him... I didn't know. I didn't know about Fury. I was so angry, Fitz. He hurt me, and I lashed out at him. But I didn't mean it, any of it."

Fitz immediately rose from his seat and walked around the bed, looping his arms around Skye as she sobbed miserably, both at their present circumstance and the awful memories of all that had transpired between them only a year before.

"Hey, hey, hey," Fitz soothed, rocking her in a gentle embrace, "he knows that. Course he does."

"You don't know what his family did to him, Fitz. And then Garrett, and... He just, he deserves some happiness... to have a life... to be loved."

"He'll get that. He'll get all of that," Fitz vowed, the words tumbling so easily from his lips that Skye couldn't help but believe them. She peered up at her friend through red rimmed and watery eyes, smiling thinly at him as he stroked a tendril of hair away from her cheek.

"If anyone can give him those things, Skye, it's you," Fitz stated, his voice dropping to almost a whisper, "he's different with you. You've... Well, you haven't changed him, that's not right... You made him want to change himself."

"He didn't want to be anyone's puppet any more," Skye replied, letting loose a thoroughly weary sigh as she gently pried herself from Fitz's arms and leaned back in her chair, barely even feeling the discomfort of the hard plastic digging into her spine any longer.

"We're a family, and we're there for each other. So I'm here now... for him and for you. Whatever you need. Okay?" he offered kindly, "he's going to wake up. I know it."

Skye nodded; although desperately wanting to believe Fitz's words, she knew they were intended to comfort her above anything else.

"I hope you're right."

"I'm always right. Rocket scientist, remember?" he teased, glancing up at the monitor and at once finding relief and perhaps a little encouragement in Ward's vital signs. "Ward's a fighter. He's not gonna leave you, Skye. You'll see."

Skye wordlessly stood up and leaned over Ward's unconscious form. Stroking his hair, she lowered her lips to his ear before she whispered softly, words that Fitz could not quite discern. Taking a seat at Grant's bedside once more, Skye remained determined in her vigil, gathering up his hand again and beginning to talk of the future they had so tentatively discussed. She could only pray that it would still be theirs.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

It had been eleven hours since the antidote had been administered, yet Grant Ward remained unconscious, apparently oblivious to the pleading of the woman who loved him.

Fitz and Simmons had been as good as their word, never once allowing Skye to remain alone; bringing her drinks and food, the latter of which she refused, but their support and companionship meant more than either would ever know.

No longer turning her head when she heard the doors of the quarantine room open, Skye sat motionless in the chair at Ward's side, his hand in hers, her tears having dried to stain her cheeks.

Simmons examined the monitor at Ward's bedside, her eyes scanning between that and the tablet in her hand.

"Well, this is looking quite promising, I must say. His blood results have shown a huge improvement since this morning..."

"He's getting better?"

At Simmons' rather more buoyant tone, Skye's head whipped up and she chanced an uncertain smile.

"He's not out of the woods just yet, but his ABG was near normal, and everything else is looking quite... quite reasonable, all things considered. He's breathing off the ventilator, and so far his oxygen saturations and respiratory rate are all within normal limits. I'd like to schedule him for an MRI, but it's just not possible whilst we have him in containment."

"Jemma... Why won't he wake up?" The quaver in Skye's voice betrayed her anxiety and, as Simmons landed a comforting hand on her shoulder, she simply stared down at Ward, her stomach in knots.

"I don't know," Simmons answered truthfully, "but he's off the ventilator now, and he's holding his own. That's a very good sign. I wish we knew more about this virus, I feel entirely useless. I don't know what else I can do."

Skye flashed the woman a wan smile that she knew was incapable of expressing even a sliver of the gratitude she truly felt towards her friend.

"You've already done more than enough," Skye assured her, reaching out with her free hand and momentarily capturing Jemma's gloved fingers. Earnestly, Skye peered up into the woman's face and stated, "Thank you."

Blushing, Simmons nodded, her fingers closing around Skye's gently.

"It's quite alright," Jemma replied, tilting her chin upwards as she glanced at Ward, "like Fitz said, we're family."

Skye withdrew her hand from the scientist's just in time to hide a yawn behind it. At the disapproving look Jemma directed at her, Skye squirmed in her seat and attempted to tear her gaze away.

"You really should get some sleep, you know," Jemma cautioned, "Ward's going to need a lot of support when he wakes up and you'll be no good to anyone if you're running on fumes."

Skye shrugged, pulling her chair closer and resting her folded arms on Grant's bed before she propped her head on them sleepily. Though another cot had been brought in to the quarantine room, she had no intention of physically leaving Ward's side.

"Skye," Jemma began to chide her, "that doesn't look particularly comfortable to me. Are you sure you don't want to sleep on the cot? I can grab you some extra pillows, perhaps get the comforter from your room if you'd prefer?"

"Thanks, Jem. But... I'll be okay. I've slept in worse places. I'm the girl in the van, remember?!"

Simmons nodded, a wistful expression settling momentarily on her features as she considered all that had transpired in the two years since they had first stumbled upon the young hacker.

"Seems like a lifetime ago. So much has happened. So much has changed."

"Not everything," Skye replied, closing her eyes as she curled one hand around Grant's wrist and wondered if her troubled mind would allow her to rest. However, fatigue eventually overcame the young agent, and it was a couple of hours later when she finally stirred.

Grumbling fitfully as she found herself wrenched from slumber, Skye felt a pair of eyes boring in to her with an irritating degree of intensity. Turning around, she half expected to see FitzSimmons banded together behind her, offering another pizza or grilled cheese sandwich. When she found the room empty save for herself and Ward, a frown settled on her features. Turning rapidly as realisation dawned upon her, Skye found her gaze settling on Ward's face, and a gasp of surprise and utter elation left her lips as she discovered him staring at her silently. The ghost of a smile tugged at his lips and Skye's stomach somersaulted.

Her hand flew to her mouth and tears burned the back of her eyes as she felt him squeeze her fingers, and he peered up at her - weary, pale, but very much alive.

"You came back to me..." Skye whispered before somewhat gingerly brushing her lips against Ward's. He did his level best to return the gesture, although the short wires from the pulse monitor on his finger and canula in the back of his hand prevented him from raising his hand to the back of Skye's head as he had intended.

" 'Course..." Ward whispered, his voice sounding scratchy and harsh. Skye didn't miss the wince that followed his attempt at talking, and she hastily pressed a single finger against his lips.

"I talk, you listen," she commanded, sniffing in an attempt to hold back the relieved sobs bubbling up in her chest. "I am so, so sorry, Grant. I should never have talked you into going there, and I will... I will never forgive myself for being the reason you got sick."

"No... _No_," he insisted, his brow furrowed as he attempted to argue with her and found himself frustrated at not being able to voice his feelings. He swallowed hard, coughing to try to clear his throat, but to little avail.

"Skye... no. Not your fault..." he managed, determined that she not take the blame for his illness. She could never have known what Jacqueline's twisted intention had been and, once he was able to communicate as much, Ward was determined to set her straight. For now, he'd have to make do with holding her hand and, once he'd checked that there were no wires or probes attached to his right hand, Grant clutched onto her tightly, interlocking their fingers and raising their joined hands to his chest.

"How long..." he began, wincing as his throat protested against the effort of speaking. Skye shushed him, laying her head on his shoulder and draping her arm over his chest.

"Nineteen hours," she replied, "I thought... I- I was so scared I was losing you."

Skye closed her eyes, and Grant held her tighter as she collapsed into a fit of sobs. His breath ghosted her ear and she shivered at the welcome sensation.

"I could hear you," he whispered, waiting until Skye lifted her head to return his gaze until he began to stroke his fingertips tenderly across the apple of her cheek.

Skye consented to smile, blushing as her mind drifted back to the things she had promised Ward if only he would wake up; white picket fences and lazy Sunday mornings in bed certainly carried new appeal in the wake of Grant's recovery.

"Then you know how much I love you," Skye replied, basking in the adoration she found within Ward's tired eyes, "and how worried we all were."

"Sorry I scared you," Ward murmured, momentarily extracting his hand from Skye's in order to rub it over his face. He frowned as his fingers tangled in the nasal cannula taped above his lip, but Skye seized his hand quickly before he could make a move to rip it out.

"Doctor Simmons would have a thing or two to say about that, don't you think?" Skye scolded, a chuckle dying on her lips as a voice from the doorway commanded her attention.

"I should certainly think so," Jemma stated loudly, although both her severe glare and authoritative tone melted away as she said to Grant, "Agent Ward... I'm so glad you're feeling better."

Ward nodded, offering an awed smile as he glanced across at the scientist, who he knew had overcome significant personal loathing to help to save his life.

"I think I owe most of that to you," he whispered, his fingertips absently stroking Skye's arm as he pointedly held Jemma's gaze. "Thank you."

Jemma waved his gratitude off with one hand, and then with her free hand busied herself with setting down a cup of ice chips onto the table beside the bed.

"Nonsense. I believe Dr. Banner deserves most of the credit. But... you're most welcome. Now, get some rest, and I'll pop back and see you later. I just need to take another blood sample and once we're certain the virus is out of your system, we can get you out of this drab little room."

"Sounds good," Ward agreed, turning his head and smiling instantly as Skye snuggled into his side.

"I must admit, I'll be rather glad to get rid of this bloody awful suit," Jemma replied, glancing at Skye as she let out a giggle. Simmons worked quickly, unhooking the IV line from the cannula and using the open port to draw a blood sample, which she collected in a small vial that she dropped into a plastic bag when she had finished.

"I'll leave you two alone," Jemma said, approaching the doorway again now that her task was completed. She paused in order to turn around and offer the clearly fatigued and terrified couple a smile, "I must say, everything here is looking promising. I have a very good feeling that you'll be up and about in no time at all, Agent Ward."

Frowning gently, he shook his head, his voice still a whisper and yet powerful in its insistence as he stated, "Grant."

"Grant..." Simmons bobbed her head in acknowledgement, returning Grant's smile before she made a swift exit, allowing the couple as much privacy as they could get whilst behind a transparent wall.

Skye swept her hand over Grant's jaw, content to simply lay in the crook of his arm, as comfortably as the cramped hospital bed would allow. The seconds passed in silence and they held each other close, exchanging brief kisses and revelling in the feel of being in each other's embrace. Suddenly, as if only just recalling the second casualty of the virus - although admittedly self-inflicted - Ward frowned as he began to struggle to speak his sister's name aloud.

"Jacqueline?" he croaked finally, eyes darkening.

"I don't know. I didn't ask..." Skye replied, her hand sweeping up and down his neck. She pressed her forehead to his and caressed his strong jaw with her thumb. She was uncertain if Ward would have any lingering feelings towards his sibling and so she refrained from comment, although the acerbic words on the tip of her tongue practically begged for release.

"So let's make a deal," Skye began, tentatively trailing her fingertip over the back of his neck, "let's agree to not get shot, stabbed, blown up, mind-controlled, infected with alien viruses, or anything else that means we don't get to spend the rest of our lives together, okay? Cos, I gotta tell you, Grant, I could go a lifetime without ever feeling this afraid again."

Ward smiled, although the gesture was weak and highlighted the dark shadows of fatigue that stained the skin beneath his eyes. Slowly though, he nodded, his hand finding the curve of Skye's hip and resting there, despite the wires protruding from his body.

"Deal," he whispered, settling back against his pillows, his eyelids already beginning to flutter in a tell-tale fashion.

"Go back to sleep," Skye encouraged, suddenly frowning as she added, "although you better wake up this time."

"Promise," Ward replied, allowing his eyes to close and smiling once again as he felt Skye's fingers flutter against his cheek.

Laying her head in the crook of his neck, Skye closed her eyes. Mere minutes later a dreamless but surprisingly peaceful sleep overcame her. She drifted off with a whispered 'I love you' in her ear and, for the first time in recent weeks, all was right with her world.

x-x-x

"Woah, woah, woah! Where do you think you're going, Mister?" Skye chided, seizing her uncooperative patient by the arm and tugging him back toward the bed.

"Skye, I need to take a shower," Ward protested, his tone patient even though her slightly over-bearing stint as his personal nurse was beginning to wear on him. Deep down, the idea that someone could love and care for him to that degree was difficult for him to swallow; allowing somebody to love you was perhaps more challenging than giving your own heart to them. But, of course, Grant had had no choice where Skye was concerned. She had consumed him from the very beginning, and yet that was just fine by him.

"I don't want you falling and banging your head or something. You're still recovering, Ward. You need to take it easy," she protested, succeeding in forcing him to sit down on the edge of the bed they shared. It had been two days since Ward had woken up and, once Simmons had ascertained that they were both virus free, they had finally been allowed to return to their quarters - albeit with Ward under very serious scrutiny from Skye, and their band of friends.

"Skye, I'm not about to break," Ward reprimanded her, shaking his head in exasperation, although he was secretly fighting off an amused smile at her antics.

"Excuse me for caring, Grant," Skye retorted, poking him vehemently in the chest as she stared him down, willing him to raise a protest against her orders, "but one of us in this room just recovered from a deadly alien virus and came back from the brink of death... And it wasn't me!"

She punctuated her point with a final poke to his chest, although she quickly stooped forwards and brushed a kiss against his lips to compensate for her firmness.

"I can always offer you a bed bath," she stated, a mischievous twinkle present in her eye. Grant smirked, eyebrows shooting up at the suggestion, and a reply poised on his lips, when there came a series of gentle but insistent taps on the closed bedroom door.

"We're decent," Skye called out, winking at her boyfriend before she turned to the doorway.

Glancing sharply toward the door, Ward quickly uttered under his breath, "Maybe you could take a shower with me... You know, in case I need a hand?"

Skye snorted with laughter, the true meaning behind his words not lost on her, and her eyebrows raised towards the ceiling.

"I think that can be arranged," she hissed in response, her smile increasing as he pressed his lips to hers to seal a hurried kiss. Coulson stepped into the room and cleared his throat barely a second later, although he was courteous enough to avert his gaze to the ground as the couple drew apart.

"Skye... Ward..." Coulson greeted them, the trace of a smile on his face as he noted how well Ward looked in comparison to the last time he had seen the young agent. "You seem much better, Grant. How are you feeling? Simmons tells me she's delighted with your progress."

"I feel fine, sir. Thank you," Ward stated, watching with some trepidation as Coulson dragged the chair from the corner of the room and sat down in front of their bed, fiddling absently with this tie before he planted his hands onto his knees. His posture was nervous and Ward recognised as much immediately, his heart rate begin to spike as he anticipated whatever bad news Coulson was poised to deliver.

"I'm... glad to hear it," the sincerity in Coulson's tone took Ward aback, but there was a trace of hesitancy and unease in the director's demeanour that still made the Specialist uncertain.

"There's no easy way to tell you this Ward, so... I'm just gonna come out and say it," Coulson continued, finding himself pleased when he noticed Skye's grip on Ward's hand increased. "Jacqueline died this morning. We did everything we could, but... in the end, the virus had caused too much damage to her internal organs. She never regained consciousness."

Ward processed the information with a slow release of breath and a perfect kind of stillness that was unnerving to behold. Skye clung to him, chewing on her bottom lip as she evidently worried for his reaction, and yet despite as much seemed unwaveringly determined to serve as his rock.

"Good," Grant stated eventually, his tone devoid of emotion. Skye peered up at him sharply and even Coulson gave pause, his brows knitted into a frown.

With the need to explain apparent, Ward continued, "She can't hurt anyone now. She'd never have stopped trying to get at me or Skye..."

Coulson cleared his throat, somewhat disconcerted not to have received whatever response he had apparently expected. Ward only sat in silence, staring straight ahead, and Skye watched his brown eyes darken as a thousand memories replayed in his mind. From all that he had confided in her, she was certain that none of them were pleasant. Squeezing his fingers, Skye reached up and caressed his jaw with her free hand.

"Hey, are you okay?" she checked, pressing a kiss to his cheek whilst he nodded.

Deciding to continue with the debrief, Coulson pressed on, "It appears Jacqueline had a congenital heart defect. I know nothing has been detected on your annual medicals, Ward, but I'd prefer it if we got you checked out. Simmons believes it was this weakness that made your sister more vulnerable to the effects of the virus. Her heart just wasn't strong enough to allow the vaccine time to fight it."

Ward shook his head, gulping in a much needed breath of air before he replied, "There's no point, sir. Our father was the one with heart problems and, as it turns out, he's not my biological father."

Coulson let out a sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Ward had endured more turmoil and upset over the last week than most would be capable of tolerating in a lifetime, and yet he seemed to be carefully guarding his emotions with a practised ease that was almost alarming. It certainly was not uncommon for Specialists to play their feelings close to the chest but Coulson couldn't help but be concerned for his agent, and how the events of the last few days might effect his emotional well-being in the long term.

"Simmons believes that the lingering traces of GH-325 in Skye's blood helped to repair the damage caused to your internal organs. All in all, the antidote was a success. The intel. Widow obtained from Schaeffer's labs indicates that the virus was being developed by he and your sister in secrecy. Thanks to Romanoff's work, Hydra should remain in the dark about everything, including their own involvement in the Teocelo incident," Coulson continued, glancing at the couple in turn and then allowing his gaze to rest on Ward. "For both yours and Skye's protection, I've ordered all documents and evidence pertaining to this case to be destroyed. S.H.I.E.L.D. will have no records of any of this occurring."

"Can... Can you do that, D.C.?" Skye inquired, her mouth falling open as she contemplated Coulson's revelation. She knew that such secrecy was against almost everything he stood for, and that the potential consequences for him would be dire should the deliberate deception be discovered by some other government body.

Coulson managed a brief, reassuring smile.

"Usually, no. But... in this case, it's in the best interests of my agents that this remains a secret. It also prevents Hydra or any other organisation from trying to develop or replicate their work. S.H.I.E.L.D. will retain the vaccine, under my direct care. Nobody outside of our team will know anything about it."

Skye rose from her seat as Coulson stood from his, intent on giving the couple some much needed privacy. He assumed they would have a lot to discuss and work through, not least of all the bombshell that Jacqueline had dropped on Ward in regards to his parentage.

"We leave in 48 hours. I figured you two might want to take that time for yourselves?" Coulson suggested rather than stated.

"I can have a quin jet at your disposal, should you need to go anywhere. Meet anyone. Do some... digging," he hinted, removing a large Manila envelope from his pocket, which he deposited into Skye's hand with a pointed cough.

"Thanks, D.C.," Skye said gratefully, throwing her arms around the older man's neck in a fierce hug that patently flouted protocol.

"If you need anything..." Coulson paused, his hand on the door jamb as he stared directly at Ward.

"Thank you, sir," Ward replied, meeting Coulson's gaze and bestowing a rare but genuine smile upon him. "I appreciate everything."

Flashing his agent a somewhat awkward smile, Coulson nodded before disappearing out of the door, which Skye slid closed behind him. Ward continued to sit perched on the edge of the bed, his hands resting on his knees lightly and his eyes fixed on a spot on the wall ahead. Tentatively, Skye lowered herself down at his side and reached out a hand to cover his. Without a word, Ward curled his fingers around Skye's but his gaze remained rooted to the wall.

"Are you okay?" Skye inquired quietly, leaning her body into Ward's in a bid to provide him with the comfort he so obviously needed and yet would never seek of his own volition.

"Honestly... I don't know," Ward answered with a tiny shrug before his shoulders sagged again.

"There's a rumour floating around that I'm good for listening as well as incessantly talking," Skye joked, grinning encouragingly as she nudged Ward with her own shoulder, managing to extract just the barest of smiles from him.

Ward heaved a heavy sigh, finally consenting to speak once he had grasped Skye's hand between his own. His fingers smoothed absent patterns over her skin, and he tangled and untangled their fingers over and over again.

"Who would I have been if they had raised me?" he asked, his voice strained as he nodded towards the envelope Skye had placed on the bed beside him. "How would my life have turned out? Would I still be with S.H.I.E.L.D.? I'd never have met Garrett, I'd never have hurt you or Fitz or..."

Skye shrugged, eager to interrupt Ward's tirade, which would only prove toxic, "I guess we'd never have met at all?! And I for one am totally not okay with that."

Ward closed his eyes momentarily, his train of thought not so easily derailed. "Maybe it's not in my blood to be a monster, Skye... but it's what I became."

He blinked as he found his head suddenly being turned somewhat forcibly in Skye's direction, her fingers curled gently yet firmly around his chin.

"Hey, look at me, Grant. You are _not _a monster. You're a good man. What happened to you as a kid was evil and awful, and... someone else might not have survived that. But you did, and you've spent your life saving people. Okay, so you've used some questionable tactics," she smiled in a leading manner and began to brush her thumb over his stubble, "but you are a good man. And you didn't deserve anything that happened to you. You deserve to be loved, and that's what I'm going to do."

Ward stared down at her as if he both pained and yet utterly awestruck by her admissions, and his hand closed around hers like a vice, demonstrating his unwillingness to let her go.

"And you know what else? I bet my ass that they're gonna love you, too," Skye shot a glance at the envelope before returning her gaze to his handsome features.

Swallowing hard, Ward gazed beseechingly at his girlfriend, his expression suddenly so utterly lost and broken that her heart seized in her chest.

"I'm afraid of what I might find," Grant whispered, and for the first time in quite some time, his so carefully constructed walls tumbled down, allowing Skye to see not only the man beneath, but the utter fear that had moulded him his entire life long.

Skye tilted her head, her expression sympathetic, but her resolve on the matter evident in the set of her mouth. She wordlessly touched Grant's cheek, her fingers soft and delicate as she traced the line of his jaw and the curve of his brow in turn.

"You don't have to be afraid any more," she vowed, her voice thick with emotion as tears suddenly sprung to her eyes, "we'll do this, together."

Ward's smile was hesitant, and the moisture pooling at the corners of his eyes almost took Skye's breath away, but still she extended her hand, offering to him the envelope that contained the past that had been stolen from him.

Carefully, hesitantly, fearfully, Ward reached out, and finally grasped his future.


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The house was relatively small and modest, situated on a crowded Eastham street; already a direct contrast to the sprawling country mansion houses that a young Grant Ward had been born into. However, the neighbourhood gardens were neat and homely, surrounded by the secretly welcome cliché of picket fences, and containing mailboxes painted with family names. Automatic sprinkler systems watered lawns, dogs barked sporadically from back yards, and children's bicycles stood propped against garages sporting basketball hoops. Everywhere Grant looked, the American dream was prevalent, and his heart plummeted immediately to the pit of his stomach.

As a S.H.I.E.L.D. Specialist, he had many talents, but _this _was not one of them; he had never quite learned how to fit snugly into a true family, just the same as the woman sitting by his side and clutching fiercely to his hand. Neither of them had ever belonged and as such a permanent imprint of dysfunction had been impressed upon them both. Although Grant liked to talk about a time when he and Skye might settle down, leaving government espionage behind them, and filling a perfect home with childish laughter together, he had never truly believed that their future held such a reality; in fact, he was certain that he didn't deserve it. So, as he stared up at the front of the family home encircled by the white porch, complete with gently swaying swing, Ward momentarily debated simply getting back into the car and driving away. Nobody would be any the wiser, after all, aside from Skye, and he was certain she wasn't about to force him into anything, especially given her own disastrous encounters with her birth father.

Skye peered out of the car window, a delighted smile on her face as she surveyed the picturesque little street, and her eyes came to rest on the mailbox in front of the last house on the street. The name 'James' was painted carefully in dark blue cursive, marking the home as belonging to one Edward and Elizabeth James - parents to the unfortunately deceased John Edward James, and paternal grandparents to Grant Ward.

"This place is... it's perfect," Skye breathed, unable to take her eyes off of the wooden board house with the arch of pink roses growing over the gate. It was everything she'd ever allowed herself to dream of; in short, a real home.

Ward swallowed hard, his mind racing with doubts and long-held fears that seemed to have all been brought to the surface.

"Maybe it's too perfect... for me. I don't belong in this world, Skye."

"Yes, you do," Skye protested vehemently with a scowl, "this is who you are, Grant. They're a part of you. This is where your dad wanted to raise you. It's home."

A strange and strangled sort of sound escaped Ward, and Skye touched his arm, her smile warm and supportive but undoubtedly encouraging.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Grant," she said gently, her eyes never leaving his, "but if you walk away now, you'll regret it forever. The people inside that house are just waiting for a chance to love you, if you'll let them."

"It's hard," Ward finally croaked, shaking his head as he mentally berated himself for his own weakness. However, nothing could banish the cold fear that had wormed its way inside of him and taken root.

"It is for people like us," Skye replied, shrugging as a shadow of sadness passed over her features. She averted her gaze to the front door, painted a shiny and welcoming red, as she spoke, "But you're getting a chance here that not many people do. Don't waste it?!"

Tugging on his hand, Skye smiled up at him beguilingly as she pleaded, "For me?"

Releasing a puff of laughter as he unwillingly nodded his head, Ward squeezed her hand and then grasped the door handle of the unmarked S.H.I.E.L.D. issue SUV that Coulson had loaned to them.

"What if we're too different, Skye? What if we have nothing in common... I..." he flailed, growing increasingly angry with himself over his inability to find the courage to just get out of the car. Skye's hand drifted to his jaw, and she peered up defiantly into his dark eyes.

"Hey, your dad was a Vietnam vet, your grandpa is a decorated war hero... I'd say you've already got plenty in common."

Attempting to shake his head, Grant cast his eyes down as he contemplated the arguably skewed view she held of him.

"I'm no hero, Skye."

This time she laughed out loud in exasperation, her eyes wide and alive with a hint of mirth that was only outweighed by affection.

"Yes. You are, idiot. And you always will be to me... and to little Thor."

He consented to laugh at her joke, finally giving in and planting a brief kiss on her lips as he opened the car door, before stepping out onto the side-walk.

Squinting against the bright sunshine, and stealing himself against the nagging voice in his head that promised instant rejection, Grant wrapped his arm around Skye's waist and ventured up the garden path. She stayed close to his side, sensing his need for her physical presence, and matched each one of his steps with one of her own.

Once they had stepped onto the porch, Ward half expected Skye to run to the front door and hammer on it to prevent him from backing out, but instead she lingered at his side, clearly insistent that every part of this new journey be under his control.

Flashing his girlfriend a final and shaky smile, Grant tapped on the front door, and was surprised beyond measure when it was almost instantly flung open, as though the person behind it had been waiting purely for his arrival. Of course, they had, but the very idea of such was a foreign concept to Grant.

The old man standing in the foyer of the house wore a look of uncertainty that mirrored Grant's own, but there was recognition in his misty brown eyes.

The man stared at Ward, as if the breath had been momentarily stolen from his body - the eyes, the strong, chiselled jaw, the shock of dark hair - it was as if he were somehow gazing upon his son again.

"Oh my God..." he spluttered in a voice choked by emotion.

"Sir," Ward began, instantly silent as he saw tears well in the older man's eyes, and he found himself surprised by the immediate recognition on Edward's face. Coming to his senses, Edward grasped the door jamb and turned his head toward the back of the house, his tone insistent yet obviously laden with affection.

"Hey, Beth? You wanna come here, sweetheart?"

Skye watched the intense stares pass between Ward and his grandfather, then slowly but surely an uncertain smile tugged at the corners of each of their lips. Elizabeth James arrived at her husband's side only moments later, at first oblivious to their visitors. However, as her gaze ticked to the open door, Elizabeth's hand fluttered to her mouth and a startled gasp left her lips.

"You're Jack's boy..." she stated, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks as she stepped free from her husband's embrace and came to stand directly in front of Ward. Uncertainly, her hand fluttered up to rest against his cheek, and Skye noted the pained and nervous expression that coloured Grant's face. Without awaiting a reaction, the woman threw her arms around the young man's neck, hugging him to her as if she had been waiting all his life to do so. And, of course, she had.

x-x-x

Skye had long since retreated to the back yard with her tumbler of iced tea and settled herself onto the tyre swing she had found hanging from the strongest branch of a majestic, old apple tree. She sipped at her drink as she allowed her bare toes to trail through the grass, smiling against the rim of her glass as the sound of a screen door sliding open alerted her to Grant's impending presence.

Mere minutes later, he was behind her, one hand poised on her shoulder as he lowered his lips to her cheek and kissed her.

"This place even has a tyre swing," Skye stated, kicking off slightly from the ground with one foot to set the swing in motion, "you really hit the jackpot here, Ward."

His hands fastened around the edges of the tyre and he pushed her gently, standing back as she giggled in delight and leaned back.

"And obviously, they are like the sweetest people I've ever met, like... ever," she stated, smiling as she saw the elderly couple in question poised in the doorway of the house, watching their new-found grandson with interest. Ward nodded, placing his hand in the centre of her back and pushing her carefully forwards as he saw the swing about to slow its pace.

"They want to know if we'd like to stay for dinner?"

Skye brought the swing to a stop, planting her toes and then the rest of her foot down on the grass. She glanced back at him and noted the smile on his face, and for the briefest moment she could have sworn she saw something akin to peace descend on him.

"I'm totally okay with that. I think your grandma probably has some mad cooking skills... and, it's good for you to spend more time here."

Ward chuckled, extending a hand in order to help Skye to disentangle her legs from the swing. She stumbled as she stepped onto the grass, only to be seized securely by Ward's arms. Peering up at him, she grinned, delighted at the genuine happiness she found reflected in his eyes.

"I was wondering why this thing was even still out here, then I decided I didn't care because it was totally awesome," Skye enthused, hooking a thumb in the direction of the swing as she paused to stoop down and collect her glass. When she straightened up, Ward was wearing an uncertain but genuine smile.

"I have a half brother," he stated, the words still sounding foreign to his own ears, "he has a little girl. Beth and Edward take care of her every other weekend."

"You're an uncle," Skye beamed, slipping her arm through Grant's and leaning closer into his side, "that is so cool."

Ward nodded somewhat dubiously, still uncertain how this whole family thing was supposed to work. But even with his Specialist training and years of compartmentalising his emotions, he couldn't hide his joy at the love and acceptance he had found in his grandparents.

Still babbling about his new-found status as an uncle, Skye added excitedly, "And I am totally gonna be the fun aunt, I..."

She paused, eyes wide, wondering if she was beginning to over-step boundaries. After all, they had only been dating a little over eight months.

"I mean, if... uhm..."

Ward grinned, cupping her cheek and lifting her chin so that she met his gaze.

"Beth has been asking lots of questions about you."

"She has?" Skye asked, feeling her heart rate quicken as she nervously added, "and what did you tell her?"

Scanning her face, Ward allowed his thumb to linger over the smooth skin of her cheek, and he leaned down as if to kiss her, pausing before he could offer a reassuring kiss.

Gazing down at her in open adoration, he answered, "I told her that you're the girl I'm going to marry."

Skye could not help the goofy grin that immediately bloomed on her lips, and she rose up on her toes quickly in order to throw her arms around Grant's neck. Laughing in response, he tugged her close to his body and sealed her lips with a kiss. When they drew apart, Skye was breathless from the exertion.

"Who knows?" Ward began, his smile growing somewhat nervous as he added with a backward glance at the tyre swing, "maybe one day, our kids will be playing on that swing."

Sliding her hand into the back pocket of Ward's jeans, Skye began to steer him in the direction of the house, where she could see Beth watching them from the kitchen window.

"You seem... Different," Skye stated as they walked, although her tone was light and in no way accusatory, "more positive, a little less... "

"Brooding?" Ward interjected, smirking as Skye giggled and swatted at his chest to silence him. Her laughter subsided and her expression sobered, but she continued to walk, leading him towards the back door.

"I was going to say, a little less haunted," she replied, her voice soft and serious.

"I can't explain it..." Ward began, his mind wandering back over the previous few days.

A DNA test had proven that Ward and Jacqueline were indeed half siblings as she had claimed, and it hadn't taken Simmons long to acquire biological material from the James family line, which ascertained that Grant Ward was not so much a Ward as he had always believed. His grandmother's eyes were his own, his smile was echoed on his grandfather's face and, for once, he felt as though he could belong. The love and support he had felt from the couple within the first hour of being in their home - his family home - was more than he had received throughout his entire childhood.

"You fit here," Skye shrugged, as if it really were that simple, "and that's a good feeling. To know that no matter what happens, you have somewhere to go... that you're loved, for always."

Ward halted their progress, clutching their joined hands and raising them to his lips as he kissed the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry you never found the family you wanted, Skye. You deserve all of those things and so much more."

She shrugged absently and leaned up on tiptoes to press her lips to his. When she drew away from him, her eyes swept his features and her hand moved to caress his cheek.

"That's okay. I have all of that. I found them in you."

Ward only smiled, brushing a second kiss against her palm before encircling her in his arms and guiding her towards the door. Wafting from the open kitchen window, the tantalising aroma of a home cooked meal began to tease Grant's nostrils, and when he finally pushed open the kitchen doorway, he was met by a wall of heat courtesy of the double oven his grandmother presided over. Ushering Skye inside, Grant closed the door behind them, his eyes almost immediately landing on his grandparents, who were locked in an embrace that seemed as natural to them as breathing. Edward stood behind his wife, his arms encircling her slender waist as she stirred a variety of pans that bubbled on the stove top. The sight reignited the grin on Ward's lips, and he covertly nudged Skye to draw her attention to the couple, who were talking and laughing quietly in a manner that Grant had never once witnessed with his parents.

Edward pressed a tender kiss against his wife's cheek, and she blushed under his attention. Resting her hands over his, she chanced a glance over at her grandson and then laughed as she ushered her husband away, her cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment.

Smiling at her reaction, Edward batted a hand in Skye and Ward's direction as though to dismiss their presence entirely.

"Oh, they don't mind, do you kids?" He continued on without awaiting a response, "It'll do them good to learn the secrets to a happy marriage."

Elizabeth chuckled, and Ward's eyes ticked to Skye as she released a contented sigh. Her entire face lit up as she watched the wonderfully domestic scene before her that was a million miles away from anything she had encountered in her young life. It was the kind of love she had seen only in movies; the kind that never dimmed with time, and that she had always secretly craved.

"Oh, don't mind him," Elizabeth scoffed, leaning back and patting Edward's cheek as an afterthought. She winked as she added, "Besides, there's only one secret, really. Marry somebody wonderful and the rest will take care of itself. And, if you're very lucky, you'll suddenly find it's sixty years later and you're still stuck with each other. But you wouldn't have it any other way!"

The sappy grin that was firmly plastered across Skye's face only widened further, as if all of those saccharine movies she watched on the Hallmark Channel with Jemma had come to life before her.

Nudging Ward with her elbow, she smiled up at him, "So, Robot, you think... _maybe_... you'd want to be stuck with me for sixty years or so?"

Ward pretended to consider it, his face twisting into a contemplative grimace, "I don't know. You're kind of a pain in the ass, Rookie."

Ignoring her pantomime of indignance, Grant looped his arm around her and pulled her back against his chest. Nuzzling the side of her cheek and allowing his lips to linger against her skin, he cast an awestruck glance at his grandparents, suddenly feeling lighter and more optimistic than he ever had before.

He knew without a doubt that he and Skye would be happy together; he loved her too much for it to be otherwise. And, for the first time in his life, he felt at peace with wanting something for himself - a home, a family, the chance to build the life he once thought of as an unattainable dream.

The future was theirs for the taking, and he couldn't wait for it to start.

* * *

Aaaaand, we're done! Thanks for reading and reviewing guys.


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